The Martians
by TB80
Summary: Cosima Niehaus had dreamed about going to Mars her entire life. Due to a freak sand storm, she ends up getting more than she bargained. Getting stranded on Mars alone would be hell, but getting stranded with Delphine may just be the best thing that ever happened to her. Cophine AU based on the movie The Martian.
1. The Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm**

Cosima Niehaus had known that she wanted to be an astronaut since she was a small girl. The stories about the Apollo missions had captivated her. To float in the endless, inky blackness of space, high above your home planet, had seemed impossibly freeing.

Her parents, English professors both, had found her obsession a curious oddity in their otherwise art loving home. They had brought her up to find the beauty in a cleverly crafted turn of phrase. Though they may have not have understood her passion, they had supported it. While their awe for the human race came from examining it's works of art, Cosima's came from examining it's incredible works of science.

Cosima knew that it wouldn't be easy. When her dream had first sparked to life, manned space flight had been all but dead. She figured that, best case scenario, she would get to explore the cosmos through the use of robot intermediaries. Which, to her mind, had still seemed pretty damned cool. With that in mind, Cosima had focused on robotics and communications technology. Both would be critical to any future exploration and Cosima wanted in.

Now, Cosima looked out at the horizon, arms spread wide.

Not even in her wildest dreams had she ever dreamed that she would be part of the first wave of people to set boots on an alien planet. Yet here she was, on the frontier of the next phase of human exploration. Part of a team tasked with setting up the groundwork for establishing the first colony on Mars.

"Mars. The Red Planet. Desert world."

"Cosima, we talked about this. No more Dune soliloquies."

Cosima dropped her arms and turned to grin at Scott. Though the sun wasn't as intense here, she still had to squint at the reflection off of Scott's visor. "Don't tell me you haven't done the same thing."

"Once. Not every time we leave the hab."

Cosima shook her head. "I can't help it. Dude! We're on Mars! Mars!"

Scott laughed. "Yeah. We have been for over a week now."

"I don't think I'll ever get over it," Cosima admitted, turning to look back out over the landscape. Objectively, it wasn't that exciting to look at, but Cosima could have easily spent all day taking it in.

"Well, we're going to be here for a couple of months, so I'm sure the novelty will wear off at some point."

"Not gonna happen. I could be here for a year and it would still be as mind blowing to me. Mars!"

" _Dr. Niehaus, could I please remind you that you are on the public com channel? If you and Dr. Smith feel the need to continue your_ riveting _conversation, please take it to a private band. As the communications officer, I'm sure you'll be able to figure that out._ " The annoyed voice of mission commander Beth Childs crackled over the in helmet speaker.

Cosima grimaced, rolling her eyes at Scott. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am."

" _What's your progress on clearing and locking down the solar array?"_

"Almost done."

 _"Hurry if you can. Reports on this storm keep shifting and I would rather err on the side of caution."_

"Understood."

Cosima fiddled with the com control on her wrist and established a closed link with Scott's suit. "That woman hates me," Cosima complained.

"She doesn't hate you," Scott insisted, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "She just has a specific way of getting things done, and you hate authority."

"I don't hate authority. I just think she needs to relax a little bit." Cosima spread her arms out. "We're on Mars!"

Scott shook his head. "You're hopeless. Did you ever stop to think that the reason she can't relax is _because_ we're on Mars? She's mission commander. Anything that goes wrong is ultimately going to come to rest on her shoulders. It's a lot of responsibility."

"You make a good point, which is why I am content to focus on the science." Cosima waved her hand at the small solar farm they were currently standing in the middle of. "Though if they had told me that my job was going to consist of dusting, I may have changed my mind." Which was a total lie. They could have assigned her to cleaning the toilet and Cosima still would have jumped at the chance to join this mission. They were part of history.

"Don't think of it as dusting. Think of it as mission critical power supply maintenance."

Cosima swiped her hand over the nearest solar panel, brushing the thin layer of red soil to the ground. "Oh, yeah. So critical a trained monkey could do it," Cosima griped good naturedly. Honestly, she didn't mind. The work needed to be done, and keeping the communication system up and functioning wouldn't be enough to keep her busy all day.

"Well, that is your nickname around the hab, so it's fitting."

Cosima shoved Scott in the shoulder, almost sending him toppling to the ground. She grabbed him at the last second, helping him to remain upright. The last thing she wanted to have to do was write up an accident report and it explain it to Cmdr. Childs.

"Jerk." Cosima motioned toward the solar panel. "Grab a cover and help me lock this thing down."

They had been tracking a massive sandstorm coming from the western side of the planet for the last several days. The latest reports put the storm at 4500N which was below the evacuation threshold, but still strong enough to be of concern.

They were only a week into their planned two month stay and Cmdr. Childs didn't want to take any chances. She had ordered all essential equipment locked down to hopefully minimize any storm damage. They had a limited supply of replacement materials but the Commander figured it was better to go into low power mode for a few hours than to have to dig into their limited reserves.

Cosima didn't mind. She was happy to take any excuse to get out of the hab for a few hours and put boots down on the Martian soil.

* * *

Cosima stood, hands on hips, contemplating the assortment of choices before her. Though assortment may not be the best word for it.

"Can't decide between the dehydrated chicken or dehydrated beef? May I suggest the dehydrated spaghetti? It still tastes like cardboard but at least it has a splash of color to break the monotony."

Cosima turned her head to grin at Felix. He held a special place in her heart because she was pretty sure he was the only other person that annoyed Beth more than she did.

"And what's the appropriate wine pairing for such a delicacy?"

"I hear that the recycled hydrogen dioxide with a vitamin C tablet is." Felix pinched his fingers together, and kissed them with a flourish.

Cosima laughed, shaking her head. "I guess it'll have to do." Cosima grabbed the small foil pack and a cup of hot water from the nearby dispenser. As much as Cosima loved being on Mars, the same could not be said for the food. NASA claimed it was the top of the line as far as dehydrated food was concerned, but Cosima had her doubts.

Cosima sat down across from Felix, tearing into her pack and dumping in the 8 oz of hot water needed to rehydrated the meal.

"You and Scotty get everything buttoned down?" Felix asked.

Cosima nodded. "Done and dusted."

"That's good. Wouldn't want Cmdr. Childs riding your ass. Again." Felix smirked at her. "Though maybe you would enjoy that."

Cosima choked on the bite of spaghetti she had just taken. "So not my type." Cosima took a sip of water, washing the pasty taste of the spaghetti out of her mouth.

"Ah, yes, how can I forget. Still pining after the unobtainable?"

"I'm not pining," Cosima protested. "I'm totally anti-pine."

Felix looked at her skeptically. "If this is you _not_ pining, I shudder to think what the real thing looks like."

"Whatevs. Are you still drooling after Paul?"

Felix waved his hand dismissively. "That's completely different. That's just me enjoying the view."

Cosima snorted. "Right. Why can't that be all that I'm doing?"

"Because you're a lesbian, darling. Your kind always lets their feelings get involved."

"Hey guys," Scott greeted, sitting down next to Cosima with a tray of his own. "What are we talking about?"

"Just Cosima's unrequited love for a certain French botanist."

"Who? Delphine?"

Cosima backhanded him on the arm. "Jesus, dude, keep your voice down. You have no chill, man," Cosima whined, darting her head around to make sure Delphine was not in the vicinity. It was bad enough she couldn't shake her small crush on the gorgeous French doctor. The last thing she needed was the whole hab to know about it.

Felix snickered. "Yes. The fair Dr. Cormier." Felix gave Cosima a pointed glance. "See, even dear, clueless Scott has noticed your hopeless infatuation."

"Hey," Scott protested. He took a bite of his lunch, darting his glance toward Cosima. "It is totally obvious though."

Cosima sighed in aggravation. "Thanks, buddy."

Scott shrugged. "I'm a scientist, Cosima. We observe." Incident report be damned. Next time she was letting him hit the deck.

"Oh, speak of the stunning devil," Felix said with a teasing grin. He tilted his head to one side. "One of these days I'm going to find out how she manages to look windswept even in an enclosed environment." Felix patted his hair absently. "And how she manages to avoid the helmet head that so plagues the rest of us. It simply isn't fair."

Cosima rolled her eyes, refusing to look behind her even if she wanted to. "Yes, please, if you ever find out, do tell."

Felix cut his eyes back to Cosima. "If you weren't such a chicken you could talk to her yourself."

Cosima crossed her arms defensively. "I talk to her."

Felix looked at Cosima flatly. "Cosima, you were locked on a spaceship with her for 5 months and I don't think I ever saw you speak more than twenty words to her."

"She was always busy. I didn't want to bug her." In truth, Cosima found herself more than a little tongue tied around the beautiful French scientist. Something which never failed to annoy the normally confident Cosima. She had stopped being tongue tied around women shortly after she hit puberty.

"Is someone jealous?" Felix teased.

"Jealous? Why on Earth would I be jealous?"

"Because she would rather spend her time locked away talking to dusty old Dr. Leekie instead of cavorting with you?" Felix surmised.

Cosima snorted. "Dr. Leekie is head of botany, and a bit of a control freak. She's just dedicated to her job. It's admirable."

"Actually, I heard that," Scott leaned in, lowering his voice so as not to be overheard, "her and Leekie were having an affair."

"Delphine and Leekie?" Cosima asked loudly, forgetting her earlier admonishment to Scott to keep his voice down. "Who told you that? Felix?"

Felix held up his hands, a protestation of his innocence. "I could only dream to have started such a salacious rumor." Felix leaned in. "Do tell us more, Scott."

"Please don't," Cosima begged. Cosima could accept that she didn't have a chance with Delphine, but the thought of her with someone like Creepy Leekie sent a shudder of distaste through her.

"Rachel told me," Scott answered, taking another bite.

Felix sat back, clearly surprised. "Rachel? As in Rachel Duncan?" Felix cut his gaze to the far side of the room where Rachel sat, alone, back ramrod straight eating her own lunch with mechanical determination. "Who would have thought the resident ice queen would have all the hot goss. I have clearly underestimated her." Felix gave her a look that was almost...admiring. "How did you hear this?"

Cosima thought Felix looked a little miffed at being scooped on the latest gossip. NASA had deemed his paints too bulky to bring along in his personal effects, so Felix had adopted gathering gossip as his new hobby. He insisted that it kept him from going space happy. Cosima wasn't so sure it was working.

Scott shrugged. "I've been teaching her to play Agricola."

"You and Rachel playing board games?" Felix laughed. "Now I've heard everything." Felix shook his head in disbelief.

Cosima shook her head. "I don't buy it."

"I confess, I find it rather hard to believe myself. Rachel playing board games?" Felix shook his head. "I just can't picture it."

"Not that," Cosima protested. "Delphine and," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Leekie."

Felix patted her hand sympathetically. "Denial is the first stage."

Cosima pulled her hand away, and sent him an annoyed glance. "I'm not in denial."

Felix raised his eyebrows. "Of course you're not, darling."

* * *

Everyone was gathered in the communications center of the hab, looking at the screen in concern. The storm was bad. Really bad. The hab had been designed to withstand a Martian storm of moderate intensity. It could take a direct hit from a cat-5 hurricane and keep on ticking. The storm front currently barreling towards them had everyone concerned.

"What's the current estimate on storm force?" Beth asked, tersely.

Rachel's fingers flew over the keys. "8500 Newtons," she replied, her expression impassive.

"And the mission abort threshold?"

"6000 Newtons." Rachel's reply was immediate. She was in charge of monitoring the weather and that number would have been seared into her memory.

Cosima saw Beth bite her lip. It was the first time she had ever seen the normally unflappable Commander looking anything but totally confident.

"Maybe we can ride it out," Paul suggested, arms crossed over his chest. "You know NASA would have played it safe with the numbers. There's bound to be a margin of error."

Cosima glanced at Delphine, who was chewing her lip nervously. She gave her a reassuring smile, and Delphine smiled briefly in return. Cosima felt her heart speed up in response. Or maybe it was just the threat of impending death.

Beth shook her head. "We can't risk it." Beth glanced around at everyone else in the room. "Prepare for immediate emergency evac." Beth looked at Paul. "This storm is moving fast, and hard. I don't think we're going to be ready to go before it reaches us. I need you to run a guide wire from the hab to the MAV. The last thing we need is to be wandering around blind."

"Commander, I really think-"

"This isn't a discussion, Sgt. Dierden. It's an order." Beth turned her back on Paul, confident he would do as he was told. "I need the rest of you to shut down all essential systems and lock this place down." Beth turned to Cosima. "Cosima, send a mission update to NASA command. In case anything happens during evac I want them to know what's going on."

Cosima nodded, not waiting for a formal dismissal. There wasn't the time for formalities. Even using emergency evacuation procedures they would be cutting it awfully close. And that was assuming that the storm behaved as it was supposed to. For all their advancements in science, weather prediction still seemed like a guessing game half the time.

Cosima sat down at the communications console and typed out a brief status report. If all things went according to plan, they would be able to send a more detailed report once they reached the Leda. After she hit send, she let out a sigh.

She had dreamed all of her life about this, and now, because of a chance of weather, it was all being cut short. One week. Cosima shook her head.

"Fucking, Mars."

* * *

AN: So, this was really just an excuse to combine two things that I love. Sci-fi about Mars, and Cophine. Bonus, I won't have to figure out how to juggle multiple characters since this is basically just a glorified stuck in a turbo lift/elevator fic.

The rough draft on this is ALMOST completely done (my impatience finally got the best of me), but I anticipate being able to update this weeklyish.

As always, I would love to know what y'all think of it. Good, bad, or otherwise.


	2. Should I Stay or Should I Go

**Chapter 2: Should I Stay or Should I Go**

"Alright everyone. We get one shot at this. I want everyone clipped on to the guide wire at all times. Visibility is going to be non-existent and if you detach, the odds of finding your way to the MAV are minimal at best."

The team stood huddled in the airlock, listening to the storm rage outside. They had been hoping to make their escape before the full impact of the storm hit, but even rushing to get everything prepared for launch they hadn't been quick enough. The storm had moved in faster than any of the models had predicted.

" _Commander. MAV tilt is currently at 10%._ " Paul's voice crackled over the com, the strain easy to detect. Paul didn't have to state the obvious, that at 15%, takeoff would be impossible.

"Understood. We're on our way. Childs out." Beth turned and opened the door, breaking the seal on the airlock. The force of the wind rushing in staggered all of them back a step. Cosima stumbled but before she could fall a sure set of hands steadied her from behind.

"Thanks," Cosima said with a short laugh.

" _De rien_ ," Delphine replied with a small, nervous smile.

Cosima mustered up her most reassuring grin. "Everything's going to be fine." Cosima wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure Delphine, or herself. "I promise." It wasn't something that was within her power to guarantee, but seeing the worried look in Delphine's eyes, Cosima couldn't stop herself. Even if it was nothing more than an empty platitude she wanted to alleviate whatever anxiety she could. Cosima saw a little bit of the tension drain out of Delphine's expression.

"Stay close people." Beth instructed, drawing Cosima's attention back to the front of the airlock. Beth clipped herself onto the guide wire and stepped out into the storm. The rest of the team followed. Rachel. Felix. Scott. One by one they stepped out into the swirling mass of air and dust buffeting the hab, disappearing from view almost as soon as they crossed the threshold.

When it was Cosima's turn, she hesitated.

They had all studied the sandstorms that occasionally moved over the Martian surface. But no amount of theoretical study could have prepared her for the reality. It was like no storm that Cosima had ever experienced. She had been through hurricanes, and typhoons, and blizzards, but nothing could even come close to the hell that was before her.

Cosima had always expected that a Martian sandstorm would have the same red hue that the planet was so famous for, and she supposed from above, it did. On the ground however, the dust was so think that it blotted out all sunlight, and it was almost completely black.

"Cosima?" Delphine's voice crackled over her com, the signal already degrading.

Cosima shook her head, there wasn't time for this, and clipped onto the wire attached to the side of the hab. She eyed the thin piece of wire dubiously. Knowing that it was the only thing that stood between her and almost certain death was far from comforting.

Stepping out into the heart of the storm, Cosima almost went to her knees. She staggered under the unrelenting buffeting by the wind, but managed to stay upright. Reaching out with both hands she grabbed blindly for the thin wire that was quite literally her lifeline.

" _Keep….-ing….-one...1000 met-..._." Between the steady thrum of sand and grit pummeling her helmet, and the broken transmission, Cosima struggled to make out the garbled message.

Tucking her head down, she trudged ahead, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. There wasn't much else she could do. Visibility wasn't merely low; it was non-existent. Thin though it was, she was thankful that Beth had had the foresight to have Paul run the line. Without it, she didn't think they would have stood a chance in hell of making it to the MAV. Even with it, Cosima had her doubts.

Cosima wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, when she felt the guide wire pull taut behind her. A second later, the line jerked sharply to the right, flinging Cosima to the ground.

As she lost her footing, her hands grasped desperately onto the line in front of her. If she lost contact with the wire, she was as good as dead. Even as that thought raced through her head, so did another.

Delphine.

Delphine, who was making up the tail end of the group. Wire still clutched in her hand, Cosima spun around, and tugged. The wire lay slack on the ground, indicating that it had snapped from its mooring on the hab.

Cosima keyed the com on her wrist. "The line's been hit. I'm fine, but I don't have a visual on Delphine." She didn't have a visual on anything. Cosima heard nothing in return, not even the hiss of static.

"Does anyone copy?" Silence was her only answer.

Cursing, Cosima looked down at the wire in her hands, weighing her options. Her head was telling her that she should turn back around and continue toward the MAV. Even if something had severed the line between her and the hab, the forward line still appeared to be connected. Protocol dictated that she advance toward the evac point.

Her heart was telling her that she should turn around and find out what had happened to Delphine. If Delphine had lost contact with the guideline, she was as good as lost. If she still had contact, she should be able to follow it, just like Cosima, and make her way to the MAV.

Cosima sat on the ground a few moments longer, willing Delphine to emerge from the swirling darkness. No one appeared.

Cosima pushed herself to her feet. She couldn't continue to just sit here and wait. Delphine hadn't appeared, and neither had Scott, meaning the rest of the team either wasn't aware of what had happened, or were continuing toward evac as they were trained to do.

Cosima looked down at the wire in her hands. Shaking her head she acknowledged there had never really been much of a choice.

Hand over hand, not wanting to risk having the cable jerk out of her hands, Cosima made her way slowly back the way she had come. The line gave another violent jerk, almost sending Cosima to the ground, but she managed to keep her feet under her.

The fact that there was something still attached to the other end of the wire gave her hope. With any luck, it was Delphine.

Cosima didn't try to keep track of how long it was taking her. Time was no longer her primary concern. When she had turned around to go in search of Delphine, she had abandoned the thought of evacuating with the rest of the team. Given the tilt of the MAV when they had departed the hab, and the current state of the storm, Cosima figured the team had already launched. Assuming they had been able to make it to the launch vehicle.

Cosima didn't believe in god, but she sent up a silent hope that the rest of the team, at least, was safely away.  
Her plan, if you could call it that, was to try to find Delphine, and hopefully, make it back to the relative safety of the hab. As far as plans went, it left a lot to be desired, and relied on a good dose of luck.

 _I must have lost my fucking mind_.

If asked, Cosima wasn't sure she could answer why she had decided to turn back for Delphine, instead of proceeding toward the promised safety of the MAV. By staying, she was almost certainly signing her own death warrant. She wasn't close with Delphine; couldn't, in all fairness, even call her a friend. She was, at best, an acquaintance. A work colleague that she had spoken to only in passing.

Even if she managed to find Delphine, the odds that she could get them both to safety were slim. This whole things was likely a fool's errand that would now result in two deaths, instead of one. Cosima felt her heart give an uncomfortable twinge at the thought of Delphine lying dead on the Martian surface.

So intent was Cosima on the wire in front of her, that she nearly walked right into the tangled mess of metal in her path. Dropping the wire, Cosima realized she was looking at the communications dish. Or what was left of it. It's presence, here, also explained the complete loss of coms.

Before she had a chance to search the surrounding area for Delphine the wind caught the dish, and sent it tumbling away. Cosima only had a second to brace herself before the line at her waist pulled tight, and she was jerked off her feet, dragged along behind the dish.

When the dish finally came to rest, Cosima clawed desperately at her waist. Her main concern at the moment was no longer finding Delphine, as it was making sure she wasn't going to be tossed around like a ragdoll when another gust caught the dish and sent it flying. This time she gotten lucky, and it had remained relatively close to the ground, but there was nothing preventing it being pulled high into the atmosphere.

However, before she could unlip she needed to locate the dish. There was a slim chance that Delphine was still attached to the tangled mess of dish and guide wire, and if she was, Cosima needed to untether her. She hadn't come this far to give up now. On her hands and knees, Cosima scrambled to follow the wire, hoping that she didn't run out of time. If the dish went flying again she would have no choice but to unclip.

A few moments later her helmet bumped into the edge of the dish and she breathed a sigh of relief. Unclipping from the wire she was careful to keep her hands in contact with the dish.

Staying as close to the ground as possible, Cosima edged her way around the dish, feeling desperately for any trace of the other end of the wire. So far, all she felt was twisted metal and sand. She was starting to lose hope when her hand fell onto a thin piece of wire. Grabbing it firmly, Cosima raced down the length, silently pleading with a god she didn't believe in.

Cosima almost cried in relief when her hand landed on Delphine's suit glove. Her relief faded slightly when she saw the condition Delphine was in. Delphine's inner helmet light revealed a nasty gash on her forehead, her face half covered in blood. Cosima couldn't tell if she was alive or not. There would be time to worry about that later. First, she needed to break Delphine's tether to the remains of the communications dish.

Grabbing her arm, Cosima tried to untangle the wire, but it was hopeless. The wire was wrapped tightly around Delphine's wrist, and the tension on the line made it impossible to maneuver. Cosima realized that Delphine must have done whatever she could to secure herself to the line after getting hit by the dish.

"Good girl," Cosima muttered quietly. Delphine's quick thinking was the only thing that had made it possible for Cosima to locate her. Reaching for her belt, Cosima fumbled with her multi tool. With shaking hands she cut the wire, freeing Delphine from the dish.

Cosima breathed a sigh of relief. Now, no matter what, they wouldn't be sent cartwheeling across the Martian landscape. Crawling closer to Delphine, Cosima tried to better assess the other woman's condition. As much as it pained her to think about Cosima couldn't afford to waste energy and time trying to save someone that was beyond help. If Delphine was already gone, she had to concentrate on saving herself.

The visor of Delphine's helmet looked intact, and Cosima didn't see any sign of a breach. She leaned as close as she could, her visor bumping against Delphine's with a muted click. Cosima scanned her eyes frantically over the other woman's face, looking for any sign of life.

The blood made it hard to make out details, but Cosima was almost positive that she saw Delphine's eyelid twitch. Needing to make sure it wasn't just a trick of the light, or wishful thinking, Cosima rested her hand in the center of Delphine' chest, and closed her eyes. Focusing all her attention on that one point of connection.

It took a few moments, but finally Cosima breathed a sigh of relief. Delphine was still breathing; Cosima's hand rising and falling with the motion of the woman's chest. Cosima ran her hands down Delphine's suit, looking for any other signs of damage. She bit off a curse when she encountered a piece of metal protruding from Delphine's abdomen.

Cosima leaned down, trying to get a look at the injury, but it was useless. Visibility was too poor, and the lights inside her helmet didn't cast a far enough field. Besides, even if she could get a clear view, there was little she could do about it out here. If the suit had been breached, the last thing she wanted to do was remove anything that could be plugging the hole.

The best she could do at the moment was to try to find a place to hunker down, and ride out the rest of the storm. If they got lucky it would pass over quickly. If they didn't get lucky, well...the piece of metal poking out of Delphine's side would be the least of their worries.

As much as she didn't want to move Delphine, and risk further injury, Cosima knew that she didn't have a choice. They couldn't stay where they were. It was too exposed and there was nothing stopping another piece of wind-borne debris from tearing through them.

Not wanting to risk losing Delphine now that she had finally found her, Cosima clipped the loose end of Delphine's waist tether to her own. It wouldn't provide her much range, but it would have to do.

When Cosima bumped into an outcropping of rocks almost immediately, she thought maybe luck was going to be on their side after all. This rock grouping must have been what stopped the dish before it could be carried too far by the raging wind.

There were only a few large outcroppings of rock near the hab. Based on their trajectory toward the MAV, if Cosima's mental map of the site geography was correct, then they were about 800 meters south east of the hab. Though at the moment it may as well have been 5000. To try to make it back to the hab now would be almost certain suicide. Assuming that she could even get Delphine to wake up.

Shaking her head, Cosima dismissed the thought. She didn't mind taking risks when the situation called for it, but she wasn't reckless. Stories about people that wandered off into blizzards, only to be found dead, feet from shelter filtered through her brain. Even without Delphine, the odds were poor that Cosima could make it back alone. And she wasn't about to leave Delphine now.

Cosima scooted around until she was behind Delphine's head. Leaning forward, she hooked her arms under Delphine's armpits, and dragged her backward until she was resting against Cosima's chest. Cosima thought she heard Delphine groan, but admitted it was probably just wishful thinking, or a trick of the wind.

Crab crawling backwards, Cosima slowly dragged Delphine toward the dubious protection of the nearby rock outcropping. Cosima estimated it was only about 10 meters, but by the time she dragged Delphine over the small crest of rock, she was exhausted. Using her hands, and her last reserve of energy, she dug a small well into the sand at the base of the rock, doing her best to create just a little bit more cover.

It wasn't much. In truth, it was little better than nothing. But it was all they had, so it would have to be enough.

Cosima settled back into the depression, Delphine held tightly to her chest. She took a small bit of comfort in the fact that, even after the move, could still feel the other woman's chest rising and falling under her hands. At least she had managed not to kill Delphine on the trip here.

Cosima closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do now but wait. Wait and hope.


	3. Dammit , Delphine! I'm a Geek Monkey

**Chapter 3 - Dammit, Delphine! I'm a Geek Monkey, Not a Doctor!**

The first rays of the dim Martian sunrise, cresting over a plateau of rock, hit Cosima in the face and stirred her to consciousness. After an initial moment of disorientation, the events of the previous day came flooding back and Cosima started, tightening her arms reflexively. She relaxed when she felt Delphine still resting securely against her chest. There was no longer any need to hold on, if there ever had been in the first place. The air was calm, holding no trace of the violent storm that had raged mere hours before.

Cosima shook her head, trying to dispel the last vestiges of drowsiness. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but exhaustion had won, drawing her into a fitful slumber. She shifted, groaning as her muscles, stiff from hours sitting in such an unnatural position, protested vehemently.

Now that the storm was past, and the sun was up, Cosima knew they needed to move. Their air supplies had to be running dangerously low. The suits only had enough air for 10 hours. Which didn't even account for the breach in Delphine's suit. While Cosima didn't know exactly what time it was, based on the time the storm hit yesterday, and the sunrise, she knew they had to be cutting it close.

Delphine lay heavy and still against her, and Cosima did her best to ignore the most logical reason for the blonde's motionless state. She refused to accept that all of this had been for nothing.

Drawing a deep breath, she prepared herself for the task ahead. She braced her hands against Delphine's shoulders and pushed her forward slowly. Carefully, she wiggled out from behind Delphine, and laid her back on the ground as gently as she could. The environmental suits were surprisingly streamlined, but they were still quite heavy, even in Mars' reduced gravity.

In the light of day, Cosima finally had the opportunity to better assess the full extent of the damage. Cosima was happy to see that she had been correct last night; Delphine's helmet, though scuffed, had done its job, and remained intact. It was a small bright spot. The piece of metal protruding from Delphine's abdomen was far less optimistic.

Cosima gently rested her hand near the entry point, slotting the exposed portion of the rod into the vee formed by her thumb and index finger. A dark crust of blood and sand was gathered around the tear, forming a crude patch, which gave Cosima a glimmer of hope. Cosima watched as the metal rod slid slowly up and down along her gloved hand.

Delphine was still alive.

Cosima expelled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and her shoulders sagged in relief. Resting a hand on Delphine's shoulder, Cosima shook her lightly. It was time to get moving.

"Delphine? Hey, time to wake up." With the main communications dish destroyed, suit to suit communications were non operational, but at this distance, they wouldn't need them. Sound was muffled, but still audible.

Not receiving a response, Cosima shook her again, taking care to be gentle. Last night she had had no choice but to drag Delphine over the ground, risking further injury. Now, she was mindful not to jostle her any more than necessary. The last thing she wanted to do was dislodge the metal rod before they got back to the relative safety of the hab, or cause any further damage.

Assuming, of course, that the hab was still standing. Cosima shook her head, dispelling the negative thought. _One thing at a time._ She couldn't worry about the state of the hab right now. She needed to focus on getting Delphine alert, and hopefully mobile.

Delphine groaned, and Cosima had to suppress the urge to laugh in sheer relief.

"That's it, Delphine. Open those eyes for me."

As if following her urging, Delphine's eyes fluttered open, unfocused and confused. As awareness started to seep in, Delphine began to thrash, and Cosima placed her hands on her shoulders, pinning her to the ground.

"Woah there! Take it easy. You're okay. Relax. Just give it a minute."

Hearing Cosima's voice, Delphine stopped struggling. However, the panic and confusion did not leave her eyes. Delphine swiveled her gaze frantically, trying to turn her head to take in her surroundings.

"What happened?" Delphine's voice, when she finally spoke, was dry and raspy.

"We were evacuating because of the storm. Do you remember that?" Receiving a small nod, Cosima continued. "The communications dish tore free because of the storm and ripped through the guide wire. Did it hit you?"

Delphine shook her head, and licked her lips, wincing when she encountered dried blood. " _Non_." That, at least, was a small piece of good news. Besides the punture, they hopefully wouldn't have to deal with any other internal injuries. "Where are the others?"

"That's actually a really good question. One second." Cosima held up her finger, and started to stand. Delphine clutched at her arm, pulling her back down. Cosima paused, and smiled at her reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm just going to be gone for a second. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Delphine looked at her searchingly for a moment, before nodding her assent and releasing her hold. Cosima patted her hand awkwardly before standing up. Her legs were stiff, and didn't want to cooperate, but after a few drunken steps, Cosima got her feet under her.

The rock outcropping they had found shelter beside wasn't large and Cosima only had to go a few meters before she was looking down on the Leda III landing site. Her eyes went immediately to the hab and she breathed a profound sigh of relief when she saw that it was still standing and appeared to be relatively undamaged. Her biggest fear was alleviated. Without a hab, their remaining time on Mars would be measured in hours, not days, weeks, or months.

Shifting her gaze to the the MAV staging area, she saw only a bare patch of ground, and empty staging scaffolding. Everyone else had apparently escaped the storm. Cosima wished them safe travels. There was nothing they could do for her and Delphine anymore.

She rejoined Delphine and knelt down beside her.

"The MAV's gone, so it looks like everyone else managed to safely evacuate."

A frown marred Delphine's brow. "They left us here?"

Cosima nodded. "They didn't have a choice. The storm was getting worse and the MAV was already in danger of tipping over. Visibility was zero. Beth made the only choice she could. She couldn't risk the rest of the team looking for us."

Delphine looked at her, troubled, before nodding. "Yes, of course."

Cosima gave Delphine what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. We'll figure it out. But first, we have to get you back to the hab." Cosima stood up, brushing the red Martin soil from her legs. "I don't really want to move you, with that rod still in place, and risk it shifting, but we don't have much choice. There's no way we can remove it out here and risk your suit depressurising."

Using her wrist display Cosima checked her remaining air. "I've only got about 60 minutes of air left, and due to your breach, you probably have even less."

Delphine raised her arm up in front of her and after a few quick taps on her wrist display gave Cosima the news. "I have 10 minutes of air remaining. The suit's running on emergency reserves." For someone with only minutes of air remaining, and a metal rod poking out of her stomach, Delphine's voice was amazing calm and steady. Cosima couldn't help but admire the other woman's demeanor.

Even if she didn't quite share it. Cosima bit off a curse. She had been hoping to go and retrieve the rover and transport Delphine to the hab, but with that window, they simply didn't have the luxury.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way. Do you think you can stand?"

"Do I have a choice?" Delphine asked with a touch of wry humor. Cosima took the fact that Delphine was able to joke around as a good sign.

"Not really, no," Cosima answered regretfully.

It took a little doing, but with some careful maneuvering, she was able to get Delphine to her feet without too much additional damage. Looping Delphine's arm over her shoulder she grimaced in sympathy when the blonde let out a hiss of pain.

"I'm sorry."

Delphine bit out a short laugh, struggling to catch her breath. "You have nothing to be sorry for. If not for you, I would probably be dead by now."

Cosima hummed noncommittally. She hadn't yet told Delphine the full extent to which that statement may be true. Her decision to go back and try to help had been instinctive, but Cosima wasn't entirely sure it would be appreciated. Cosima didn't know the other woman well, but what little she had been able to glean told her she was fairly by the book, and she would always put the integrity of the mission above all. Even her own life.

"We'll take this nice and slow," Cosima promised, taking a tentative step forward and allowing Delphine to follow along at her own pace. "Just, you know, not too slow, obvs, or you might suffocate."

* * *

When the airlock hissed after being engaged, Cosima crossed one more thing off her list of things to worry about. They still had pressure inside the hab, which meant the exterior shell hadn't been breached. They had shut down active air recycling as part of the evacuation procedure, but with no people to breathe it, the hab would still have a breathable atmosphere.

Cosima settled Delphine gently against the wall of the airlock. Removing her helmet, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the relatively fresh air of the hab. After almost 10 hours in her environmental suit, Cosima had been starting to feel more than a little claustrophobic.

"Okay, let's get that fish bowl off your head." Cosima released the latch on Delphine's helmet and lifted it carefully off.

"Thank you," Delphine said, rolling head slowly from side to side. Cosima could empathize. The helmets weren't light, and they certainly weren't meant to be slept in. Her neck would probably be stiff for days. On the plus side, she was alive to complain about it.

"I'm going to help you into the med-bay, go fire up the life support, and then we can deal with that thing in your side."

Delphine pushed off the wall, gritting her teeth. "I can get to the medbay by myself. Go take care of the life support."

Cosima looked at Delphine, unimpressed. "Yeah. I'm not going to do that. I didn't drag you all this way just to have you die of stubbornness in the home stretch. It'll only take a minute to drop you off. We're hardly in danger of asphyxiation in the next five minutes."

Delphine looked like she was wanted to argue, but the short walk to the hab had clearly taken its toll. "Fine," Delphine grudgingly consented.

After quickly stripping off her own suit, Cosima, true to her word, got Delphine settled on the exam chair, and made her as comfortable as possible before heading off to turn the air recycling and circulation system back online. She crossed her fingers that none of the external components had been damaged in the storm. When Cosima heard the gentle whir of the fans kick on, and the computer displayed the all systems operational message, she breathed a little easier. One less thing to worry about.

After she got Delphine patched up she was going to have to do a more extensive audit of their situation. On the short walk here, she had seen the path of destruction that the storm had left in its wake. A few solar panels had been ripped loose, but Cosima had been relieved to see the main field still seemed to be relatively intact. They could cope with repairing minor damage, but if any of the main systems had been compromised they would be on extremely borrowed time.

When she returned to Delphine, she found that the other woman had removed her gloves, the solid breastplate and air supply. Delphine was laying back in the chair, clearly in pain, and exhausted.

"I could have helped you with those," Cosima said, indicated the discarded pieces of her environmental suit.

Delphine's eyes opened, and she rolled her head to the side to look at Cosima. "I'm not helpless."

"No, but you do currently have a metal skewer poking out of your gut, so...no shame in asking for a little help." With only the mesh undersuit remaining, Cosima was able to get a better look at the puncture site. The metal rod was about 1 cm in diameter, about as big around as a pen. "Do you think it hit anything vital?"

Delphine shook her head. "I don't think so. If it had, I'm not sure we would be having this conversation."

"Good point." Cosima hovered her hand over the wound site. "What's the plan? Do you want to try to get your suit off first or…"

"I already tried that," Delphine confessed, not looking the least bit sorry.

Cosima rolled her eyes. "Of course you did." She was quickly learning that behind Delphine's quiet exterior lay a deep stubborn streak.

"I think you are going to have to just pull it out."

"Me?" Cosima asked, taking an unconscious step backward. She held up her hands, palms out. "I'm not a doctor. I'm a computer nerd."

"And I'm a botanist," Delphine said. "We all went through the same field medic training."

"I'm not great with blood," Cosima hedged.

"Please, Cosima," Delphine said wearily.

Cosima sighed, resigned to her fate. "Let me get some gloves." Cosima went to gather the necessary supplies. Gloves, gauze, a pair heavy duty shears, a numbing agent, and the medical staple gun. "I guess it wouldn't make sense for me come back for you only to let you bleed out now," she grumbled under her breath. There was a reason she had gone into the computer sciences. Cosima hated blood.

A frown flickered over Delphine's face. "Came back for me?"

Cosima waved the question off. "Not important right now." Cosima deposited her armload of supplies on a nearby tray and snapped a pair of gloves into place. "How do you want to do this?" Cosima rested her hand gently against Delphine's abdomen. The muscles tensed slightly under the light pressure.

Delphine looked down. "Just...pull it out. Quickly."

Cosima pressed down slowly with one hand, and grasped the protruding end of the metal rod with the other. "Okay, on the count of four." Delphine nodded her understanding, grasping the arms of the exam chair in a white knuckle grip and bracing herself. "One..two…" Cosima gave a sharp tug, doing her best to keep the rod perpendicular to the wound. She tossed the rod aside, and grabbed a piece of gauze, pressing down firmly as blood bubbled up and coated her gloved fingers.

" _Putain de merde!_ " Delphine hissed, her head dropping back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cosima repeated, keeping pressure on the wound. She grimaced at Delphine apologetically. "I think we need to get you out of this suit so we can stop the bleeding."

Delphine nodded, tightening her hand on the arms of the chair and pulling herself forward. Keeping pressure on the wound with one hand, Cosima used her other hand to help Delphine sit up. She grabbed Delphine's hand and pressed it onto the now blood soaked gauze. "Hold this."

Cosima moved quickly, lowering the zipper on the back of the suit. Moving back around to the front she grasped the shoulders and started to pull, tugging the sleeves slowly down Delphine's arms. She silently moved Delphine's hand off the wound and tugged, leaving the top half of the suit to pool around her waist. Reaching for the shears, she cut through the compressive undershirt, splitting it from waist to neck. Trying to wrestle Delphine out of the skin tight garment would have been torture.

She eased Delphine back to once again lie on the chair. Cosima peeled back the loose bottom edges of the shirt, doing her best to preserve as much of Delphine's modesty as possible. She pressed Delphine's hand back onto the still oozing wound. Cosima was relieved to see that the flow of blood seemed to have slowed.

"Sorry. Usually I buy a girl dinner first before cutting her shirt off," Cosima joked, trying to lighten the mood. Using another piece of gauze she wiped the area surrounding the wound as best as she could. She grabbed the numbing hypodermic, regretting that she hadn't been able to administer it before pulling the rod free. Working her way around the puncture, Cosima numbed the area as quickly as she could. She didn't like seeing Delphine in pain.

The medicine seemed to have an almost immediate effect. Delphine's shoulders relaxed fractionally, and she let out a soft sigh. Cosima felt the tension in her own shoulders ease as well.

"You doing okay?" Cosima asked, concerned by the blonde's waxy complexion and sweat soaked brow.

Delphine smiled weakly. "About as well as can be expected." She reached for Cosima's hand, grasping it with a surprising amount of strength. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm sure you would've done the same for me." Cosima retrieved the discarded piece of metal and examined it closely. "Good news. This is a piece of the communications dish, and it all seems to all be here." Cosima turned her attention back to Delphine. " Which is fortunate for you, since I was terrible at Operation as a kid. How's everything feeling? All numbed up?" Cosima probed the area surrounding the puncture gently.

Delphine nodded. "I can't feel much of anything."

"Great. Let's get this cleaned up and put you back together then." Cosima grabbed the bottle of sterile saline. "This may be a little bit cold," Cosima warned, giving Delphine a moment to prepare herself. Even with warning, Delphine jerked when the cool liquid made contact, her abdominal muscles twitching in protest.

Satisfied that she had sufficiently flushed the wound, Cosima grabbed a wad of gauze to pat the area dry. The puncture was still oozing slightly, but blood was no longer freely flowing.

The wound was small, and a few staples was all that were required to hold the edges together. Cosima covered the area with a waterproof bandage, and smiled at Delphine. She had the insane urge to place a kiss on it, and declare it all better as her mother had done for her as a child, but she repressed it. Somehow she didn't think Delphine would appreciate the gesture.

"There. All done." Cosima removed the gloves and threw them onto the pile of bloody gauze. "Do you want a drink? Something to eat?" Delphine had lost a fair amount of blood, and Cosima wanted to make sure she stayed hydrated.

Delphine sat forward, shaking her head. "I want a shower."

Cosima did her best to dissuade Delphine from the idea, but she was quickly learning just how stubborn the blonde scientist could be once she set her mind to something. In the end, Cosima only agreed as long as she stood guard outside, not wanting to risk the other woman slipping and falling in the shower. Delphine had relented, but hadn't looked pleased about it.

Delphine had been in the shower for only a few minutes she she spoke. "Cosima?" It was only a single word, but Cosima could hear the frustration lacing the tone.

"Yeah?" Cosima pushed off the wall where she had been leaning, stepping toward the shower. "Everything okay?"

"Can you help me? I can't wash my hair properly." The tone was grudging, as though it had pained Delphine to get the words out.

Cosima raised her eyebrows at the request. Cosima was pretty sure she had had this very dream a time or two in the past. Or seen it in a porno. Shaking off her thoughts, Cosima nodded, even though Delphine couldn't see her. "Oh. Yeah. Sure. Totally."

Pulling back the thin shower curtain, Cosima kept her eyes firmly fixed. She would be lying if she said she hadn't wondered what the other woman looked like naked, but now was not the time, or the place. Delphine was hurt, and she needed Cosima's help. Delphine, for her part, seemed unfazed by her nudity.

 _Probably because she has bigger issues on her mind, dummy. Like the hole in her side, and the wound on her head. Focus, Niehaus._

Cosima took the offered bottle of shampoo and squirted a generous amount into her hand. She looked up at Delphine consideringly.

"Do you think you can scoot down a bit?" Cosima figured she could reach, but unless she was planning to crawl into the small stall with her, it would be difficult.

Delphine bit her lip, but eventually nodded. However, it was easier said than done. Simply trying to crouch put too much strain on her still tender stomach, and in the end, Cosima had to lend her a hand so she kneel toward the back of the shower. Cosima was pretty sure the resulting flush on Delphine's cheeks was due to embarrassment, rather than the heat of the shower, but she was too polite to mention it. Cosima knew that if their situations were reversed, she would hate being so helpless.

Even after Delphine had done her best to rinse the thick curls thoroughly, blood was still caked on in places. With gentle hands, Cosima worked the shampoo through Delphine's hair into a thick lather, carefully breaking up the mats of dried blood. They should probably be conserving everything, including soap, but hearing the blissful sigh that emerged from Delphine, Cosima couldn't find it in herself to care about the potential waste.

As the blood washed away, the gash responsible for it all was revealed on Delphine's temple. She was happy to see it probably wouldn't need stitches. After she was satisfied that every trace of blood had been removed, Cosima helped Delphine carefully back to her feet. "You got it from here?" Delphine seemed steady enough on her feet, and Cosima had the sudden urge to flee.

" _Oui_. Thank you, Cosima."

"Don't mention it. I was thinking about making us some food. Do you think you can eat?" The adrenaline that had been keeping her going since yesterday was finally dissipating, leaving Cosima aware of just how hungry and fatigued she was. Delphine nodded, and gave Cosima a small smile. "Okay. We'll I'll leave you to it."

Cosima drew the shower curtain closed and backed away.

* * *

Cosima placed two food trays, and two glasses of water on the table. They would need to get a full inventory of their supplies, and start conserving, but for now, she was more concerned with getting them fed. One meal wasn't going to be the difference between life and death in the long run.

Hearing the door to the bathroom open, she looked up to see Delphine clad in the pair of sweatpants and zip up hoodie. She was toweling her hair dry awkwardly, only able to use the arm on her good side.

"Feel better?" Cosima asked.

Delphine nodded. "Much." Delphine walked over to the table, taking a seat across from Cosima. "Thank you for cooking."

Cosima laughed. "Oh yeah, I can pull a tab and add water with the best of them."

"Nevertheless, I appreciate it." Delphine pulled her tray closer, picking up her fork and lifting a bite of what was supposed to be scrambled eggs to her mouth. Cosima followed suit, content to eat in silence.

There were a million things they needed to talk about. Plans they needed to make, but for now, Cosima was content to pretend like things were normal. Just two colleagues eating breakfast.

After she had eaten half of her meal, Delphine lowered her fork, looking up at Cosima. "Can I ask you a question?"

Cosima swallowed, nodding her head. "Sure. Of course."

Delphine caught the edge of her lip between her teeth. "What did you mean, when you said that you had come back for me?"

Cosima sighed, knowing that this conversation was probably inevitable. Delphine was a scientist, curious by nature, and of course she was going to want to know as much as possible about what had happened. Cosima would have been the same.

"When the wire got hit, I felt it snap. It took me completely off my feet. Coms were completely dead. I waited for a little bit, to see if you were going to appear, but when you didn't, I realized I had two choices. I could follow the wire forward, and meet up with the rest of the team, or I could go back, and find out and see if I could find you."

As she had predicted, Delphine didn't look pleased at the revelation. A deep frown creasing her brow. "Why would you do that? Given the conditions, I was almost certainly lost. It was foolish to risk yourself."

"Yeah, you're totally welcome," Cosima retorted sarcastically.

Delphine flushed, color staining her cheeks. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful. If you hadn't come back…." Delphine shook her head. "It was just...not a logical decision."

Cosima shrugged. "Yeah, well, sometimes it's not about logic. Besides, I have been accused more than once of behaving a bit rashly." Cosima looked at Delphine steadily. "I couldn't just turn around and leave, not knowing. Anyone else would have done the same."

"Except they didn't," Delphine pointed out quietly. "They surely would have felt the wire snap as well, but they all proceeded toward evac as they were ordered to."

"What can I say? I've never been great at following orders."

Delphine picked up her fork, resuming eating. "It was very foolish." There was no longer any heat or rebuke in her tone. The words merely an observation.

Cosima nodded. "It was."

"You should have followed Cmdr. Childs' orders to evacuate."

"I should have," Cosima conceded.

"I'm glad that you didn't," Delphine confessed, causing Cosima to look at her in surprise. "It is terribly selfish of me, but if you had, I would probably be dead right now. I'm grateful that I'm not."

Cosima smiled. "Me too."

Even if both of their futures were far from certain, Cosima couldn't find it in her to regret her decision. Given it to do all over again, she knew she would make the exact same choice.


	4. My Martian Haul

**Chapter 4: My Martian Haul**

Cosima rubbed her eyes wearily and dropped her head into her hands with a sigh. She had run the numbers several times and no matter how you cut it, they didn't look good.

The original Leda III mission was supposed to last 60 days, with a crew complement of 6. Even if they cut their rations to the bare minimum they were looking at 11 months of food. At those levels, they would be on a starvation diet, and they would still need another 18 months of food until Leda IV was scheduled to arrive.

"What's the matter?"

Cosima's head jerked up. Delphine was standing in the doorway, looking deliciously sleep rumpled and, in Cosima's opinion, better than anyone that had gone through what the blonde had in the past two days had a right too. Cosima was fairly confident she wasn't fairing nearly as well.

"Just facing some cold, hard, mathematical truths," Cosima said with a wry laugh.

Delphine frowned, walking over to join Cosima at the table. She turned the notebook in front of Cosima to face her, her eyes scanning quickly over the data. Her brow creased.

"We don't have enough food."

"Not by a long shot," Cosima confirmed. "Even if we consume the bare minimum to keep our nervous system ticking we aren't looking at much more than 11 months."

Delphine gave a small smile. "Then that gives us 11 months to figure something out."

Despite the stark reality of the situation, Cosima felt herself smiling back. "I wish I shared your optimism." Cosima wasn't usually one to dwell on the negative, but the enormity of their situation was starting to hit home. She wasn't sure she could see many scenarios where they both didn't wind up dead.

"By all accounts we should both probably be dead. To survive that storm, out in the open… Every day is a new opportunity. If we are alive, we can figure out how to make it through today and to tomorrow. As long as we are alive, there is hope."

Cosima nodded, shaking off her negative thoughts. "You're right. I promise, I'm not usually this doom and gloom." Cosima motioned toward Delphine's stomach. "How's that feeling today?"

"Sore, but it doesn't feel overly hot, or you missed your true calling as a doctor." Cosima was glad to hear there didn't seem to be any early signs of infection. They had a small supply of antibiotics, but the bulk of the medical supplies had been left behind on the Leda. Anything more than a minor injury would have resulted in an early termination of the mission, and a return to the ship, where they would have been better equipped to handle it.

Cosima shook her head. "Oh, no. All that blood and guts stuff is not for me. Give me a circuit board and some code over that any day."

Delphine glanced around curiously. "What's the plan?"

"The plan?"

"You've catalogued our food supply. What's next on your list?"

"I'm not really one for lists, but I was going to go out and get the rest of the solar array back online. We're pulling enough juice to keep critical systems online, but if we want to fire up the auxiliary systems, we're going to need a lot more power.

"I also want to check on the condition of the rovers. I'm hoping that at least one survived relatively intact, because being mobile will be a critical if we ever hope to get off this rock."

Delphine nodded. "That sounds good. Give me a few minutes to eat, and I'll assist."

Cosima looked at Delphine disbelievingly. "Uh...yeah...nope. You will be staying in the hab."

Delphine frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. I'll help. It will go faster with two of us."

Cosima pointed at Delphine's side. "You need to rest. I'll be fine."

Delphine crossed her arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Cosima also thought she looked thoroughly hot. "I'm not just going to sit here and let you do all the work. If we have any hope of getting through this, we need to work together. I'm going to pull my weight."

Cosima nodded. "And you will. Just not a day after you were skewered like a kebab."

"It's not that bad," Delphine protested. "It barely even hurts."

Cosima looked at her skeptically. "Really? Why don't you raise your hands over your head for me?"

Delphine scowled, and tried, but by the time her arms started to rise a few inches above her shoulders, she winced. Delphine tried to grit her teeth and power through the pain, but eventually she admitted defeat and let her arms drop to her sides.

"Yeah, you're clearly all healed up." Cosima stood up from the table. "Look, I get it, I'm not very good at sitting around and just letting others do stuff for me either, but this is a bit of a special situation. Don't worry, as soon as you're back to 100% I will let you do all the heavy lifting while I sit back and relax."

"I'll look forward to it."

Cosima smiled. "You say that now, but just you wait."

* * *

By the time Cosima threw the protective cover off the last of the solar panels with a tired sigh, she almost wished she had taken Delphine up on her offer to help. The job could be accomplished by one person, but wrestling the large covers off without damaging the solar panels underneath alone wasn't easy.

They had gotten lucky. The covers had done their job, and only 3 of the 24 dish array had been damaged beyond repair. With only the two of them in the hab, it should still provide more than enough power for their needs.

Bending down she pushed the cover close to the post anchoring the panel to the ground, and secured it in place. Cosima hoped they were in for a stretch of good weather. With the main communications dish little more than a pile of scrap metal they would be flying blind where storm tracking was concerned.

Job done, Cosima took a moment to just look around and take in her surroundings . Even now, knowing she could very well be looking at her future grave, she still found the view captivating. If she had to die, she figured here was as good a place as any. She would make the history books as one of the first people to die on an alien planet. All in all, not a bad way to mark a life. Her only regret was that Delphine would be sharing that dubious honor with her.

Cosima was determined to do everything in her power to make sure that didn't happen.

With her thoughts turned to the blonde, Cosima checked the time on her wrist monitor. She had been out here over four hours, the task of uncovering the panels taking much longer than she had anticipated. She was going to have to figure out a way to route communications through the rover. Being out of contact left her feeling unsettled.

Cosima turned, and headed back for the hab. Luckily, the storm had left most of the camp intact. Other than the communications dish, and the three solar panels, the rest of the damage was relatively minor. The wind had strewn some of the smaller scientific survey equipment about, but Cosima didn't think it was worth the effort right now to retrieve it. In the short term, all of their energy was going to need to be focused on survival.

* * *

Cosima hung up her environmental suit and went in search of Delphine. It didn't take long. The hab, though decently sized, wasn't that large. Walking into the crew quarters Cosima found Delphine sitting on the edge of one of the bunks, going through a box.

"Can't leave you alone for a second." Cosima joked. "Do you rifle through your date's medicine cabinets too?"

Delphine looked up, startled. "I thought it would be a good idea to catalogue the crew's personal effects. Everyone left in such a hurry that no one had time to grab anything. There may be something we can use."

"Find anything good?" Cosima walked over to sit beside Delphine on the bed.

Delphine shook her head. "Not really. At least, nothing useful. Just personal items." A faint blush spread across Delphine's cheeks, and she averted her gaze. Cosima's stomach sank.

"Did you, uh, go through my personal items?" Cosima rubbed her hand nervously on the back of her neck.

"I was just going bunk by bunk. If I had realized they were yours I wouldn't have gone through them," Delphine rushed to explain.

Cosima closed her eyes, an embarrassed flush spreading over her own cheeks. She was going to have to make sure she survived just so she could get home and _murder_ Sarah. "I can explain that," Cosima said hurriedly, "It's not what you think."

"You don't need to explain," Delphine insisted, still refusing to meet Cosima's eyes. "It's personal. I shouldn't have gone through your things."

Cosima groaned. She wasn't usually shy about sex, or things related to it, but she suddenly felt as uncomfortable as a thirteen-year-old boy whose mom had just found his porn stash. "It was my cousin Sarah. I'm sure she thought it would be _hilarious_ for me to have to explain that to NASA."

Cosima had had a huge going away party the day before the crew left for Mars. Her severe hangover, coupled with her general tardiness had meant she was rushing the next morning. This was one flight she most definitely didn't want to be late for. Her haste had meant that she had grabbed her bags without doing a final check to make sure everything was in order.

Cosima didn't know who had been more surprised when the large, pink dildo was pulled out of her personal belongings during pre-launch check in. Cosima had thought the poor guy was going to swallow his tongue.

Delphine finally looked at her, a small smile quirking her lips. "And how did you?"

Cosima felt some of her normal confidence return and she grinned broadly. "I asked him if he thought it was big enough. I was worried it was on the small side."

Delphine shook her head with a laugh. "You are very..."

"Funny? Charming? Witty?"

"Cheeky. I was going to say cheeky."

"At least you won't be bored. Can you imagine if you got stuck here with Rachel?" Cosima gave an exaggerated shudder. "She would have you compiling Mars atmospheric data all day long. You would be dead from boredom within the week."

"Rachel's not that bad," Delphine protested diplomatically, if not convincingly. "She is just very intense and focused on her work. I respect that about her."

"As my cousin Sarah would say, she's an uber bitch."

"And you are a bit of a brat." It was said with what Cosima thought was amusement, so she didn't take offense. Plus, she was a bit of a brat.

"I've been called worse." Cosima leaned back in the bunk. "So is my sex toy stash the most embarrassing thing you've found? Please say no."

"So far, yes. Everyone else decided to pack books, small personal items, and pictures of their families."

"How boring of them."

* * *

"Any preference?" Delphine shook her head, and Cosima grabbed one of the foil packets from the dinner bin at random.

After going through the rest of the crew belongings, and the most interesting thing found being Scott's action figure collection, the pair had decided to have their second meal for the day. The expenditure of physical energy from earlier had left Cosima ravenous, but she knew it was a feeling she was going to have to get used to. Hunger was going to be a constant companion in the coming months. With time, her body would adjust, but for now, it was a new, and unpleasant feeling.

"They all taste the same to me," Delphine confided with a minor look of distaste.

Cosima laughed, tearing the packet open, pouring in the required amount of water, and walking over to join Delphine at the table. "Seriously. I never thought I would miss the food on the Leda. However, in comparison to this, the Leda was a 3 star Michelin experience."

Sitting down, Cosima poured half of the packet's contents into the bowl in front of Delphine. Peering at it, she tilted her head to one side. "Looks like the chicken cacciatore?" It was more of a question than a statement.

Delphine poked it unenthusiastically with her fork, but gamely took a bite. "I think you're right."

"So, tell me all about Dr. Delphine Cormier." If they were going to be stranded together for months, or years, Cosima figured they better start getting to know each other a bit better. Plus, she was genuinely curious about the other woman.

Cosima had been intrigued

Delphine swallowed, looking at Cosima curiously. "What do you want to know?"

Cosima shrugged. "Anything? Whatever you want to tell me. We've been trapped in a glorified hamster habitat for the past five months, and I still know virtually nothing about you. Any siblings?"

Delphine shook her head. " _Non._ I'm an only child."

"Me too," Cosima confided. "Though my parents have mentioned numerous times that I got into enough trouble for three."

"I would believe that," Delphine said with a smile. "You've mentioned your cousin Sarah a few times. Are you close?" Delphine asked curiously.

"Pretty close. We're not technically cousins I guess. Her foster Mom, Siobhan, is my Dad's like..second cousin or something. They're originally from London, but they moved to Toronto when Sarah was around, ten, I think?" Cosima shrugged, the details weren't that important. "We spent pretty much every summer together growing up."

Delphine smiled a little wistfully. "That must have been nice."

"It was never boring, that's for sure. I think we shaved at least a few years off my parents' lives as a result of some of the stuff we got up to." Cosima cocked her head to the side. "You didn't have any cousins?"

Delphine shook her head. "None like that. My parents had me rather late, so all of my cousins were much older."

Cosima propped her chin up on her hand. "That sounds lonely."

Delphine shrugged. "It's what I was used to. Plus, I always had my books. I could spend hours in my room reading, completely losing track of time and only remembering to eat when _ma mère_ sent Béatrice to find me."

"Who's Béatrice?"

"She was our...what is the word...housekeeper?"

Cosima stabbed into a piece of chicken, and took a bite. "So you come by your love of solitude naturally."

" _Quelle?_ "

"I just...on the ship, you spent a lot of time in your cabin."

When Cosima saw Delphine's eyes flash in irritation she regretted saying anything. She had been enjoying their conversation, and she didn't want to do anything to piss the blonde off.

"I was working. Dr. Leekie wanted to make sure I was clear on all the mission parameters. I think he was worried that I wasn't properly versed in NASA mission protocol."

Cosima barely resisted the urge to snort. She was sure that wasn't the reason Leekie had done his best to monopolize a lot of Delphine's time. The man was a well known letch, and Delphine was just his type. Attractive, young, and smart.

Delphine had been a relatively late addition to the team. NASA had wanted to start building international bridges, and had decided to reserve one slot on the six person crew for an international. They were supposed to have a botanist from JAXA, but the Japanese astronaut had scrubbed out less than six months before launch. Delphine had joined them five months ago from the CNES.

"They talked about me didn't they?" Delphine asked, sounding resigned.

"Who?"

"The crew."

"Well….yeah. I mean...you put six people in a space that small for five months and people are gonna talk." Cosima shifted in her seat. If she had originally planned to tease Delphine about her rumored affair with Leekie, Cosima abandoned it. She could tell by the tightness around her eyes and mouth that Delphine was genuinely upset. "We were just curious about you. You're a bit of a mystery."

"And it never occured to any of you to just ask me?" Delphine asked curtly. Shaking her head, Delphine pushed back from the table. Acting on instinct, Cosima reached out and stayed her departure by grabbing her hand.

"Hey, I'm sorry. You're right. If we had questions about you, we should have just asked the source."

Delphine sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly, and and sat back down in her seat. "No. I'm sorry. I overreacted. It just brought back memories of my boarding school days."

"Boarding school? Oooh, tell me more." Cosima leaned forward, and winked at Delphine, hoping to lighten the mood. It worked, and Delphine laughed softly.

"I can assure you, it was nothing like that."

Cosima sat back with an unhappy sigh. "Well, that's disappointing, but still," Cosima motioned with her hand, "Please continue."

"There's not much to tell. My parents shipped me off to boarding school when I was ten. I had spent so much of my childhood alone that I found it difficult to make friends. As you can imagine, the other girls…"

"Were savage, sociopathic hellbeasts?"

Delphine looked at her, lips quirked in a small smile. "Something like that, _oui_." Delphine shrugged. "I shouldn't let it bother me. I'm not a child anymore."

"No, but you still have feelings. Tell you what. I promise that if I have any questions I'll ask. I figure, with the amount of time we are going to have here, just the two of us, we are either going to end up great friends, or mortal enemies. I would selfishly prefer the former."

Delphine gave her a soft smile. "I'd like that."

"You say that now," Cosima joked. "But, I should probably warn you, I tend to have a lot of questions, and you may want to shove me out the airlock within a few weeks. If I start to get on your nerves, just let me know, and I promise I'll give you some space."

Delphine nodded. "I will. Though I'm sure you won't get on my nerves."

Cosima narrowed her eyes and rubbed her hands together. "Okay, so next question…Any significant other waiting for you back on Earth?"

Cosima reasoned that this was a normal getting to know you question, and that it had nothing to do with the perhaps small crush she had had on the blonde since seeing her for the first time. She told herself that the happy flip in her gut when Delphine shook her head no was just a coincidence.

"No. Work has taken up almost all of my focus. It leaves little time for relationships." Delphine tilted her head. "What about you?"

Cosima tried to her best not to read anything into Delphine's question. She was probably just being polite. "Same. I was seeing someone, but she dumped me shortly before we shipped out. Long distance never really works out anyway," Cosima quipped with a grin. "And it doesn't get much more long distance than leaving the planet."

Despite her attempt at levity, Delphine frowned at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Cosima waved off the concern. "It's fine. It's not like she was the great love of my life or anything. We had fun together, but when she broke up with me I realized that I wasn't really going to miss her. I was so excited about going to Mars I barely spared the fact that I wasn't going to see her for over a year a second thought.

And I mean, that's kinda fucked up, right? If you're going to be with someone, you should miss them if they aren't there. If you don't, then what's the point? Better to go your separate ways." Cosima smiled. Cosima had enjoyed her time with Shay, but she had always known that they wouldn't work out long term. "Even if we weren't meant to be together, I know we'll always be friends. I wish her nothing but the best."

"It's nice that you could end on such amicable terms. My relationships tended to end quickly and in acrimony and accusations that I cared more about my work than them."

"I've had a few of those too," Cosima commiserated. "So, no great lost loves for Dr. Cormier? No one who will be back on Earth, anxiously awaiting your return to tell that they made a mistake letting you go?" Cosima took a sip of her drink, doing her best to look only mildly curious about the answer.

Delphine laughed, shaking her head. "Hardly." Delphine shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Besides, they weren't wrong. I did care more about my work than them."

Cosima winced dramatically. "Ouch. I hope you didn't tell them that?" Delphine looked at her with a sheepish grin. "Oh, you did." Cosima shook her head. "Cold, Delphine. Ice cold."

"I saw no benefit in lying."

"No, no you're right. If things aren't working out, better to be honest about it." Cosima thought about a few of her own relationships, that had dragged on well past their natural end date. "In fact, I probably should have done the same a time or two. Cold turkey is the only way to go."

Delphine looked at her, a faint frown crinkling her brow. "Cold turkey?"

Cosima nodded. "Yeah, you know. Abruptly. No dragging it out."

"Oh, yes." Delphine tipped her head to one side, consideringly. "I guess, considering our situation, it may all be moot now anyway."

"Moot?" Cosima asked, finding the word hopelessly adorable. Cosima shook her head. "And none of that. You were the one telling me earlier that as long as we're alive, there's hope. Don't be so quick to give up. You may still have the chance to get home and find your soulmate yet."

Delphine laughed, clearly amused. "A soulmate? Surely you don't believe in such things."

Cosima frowned, mildly insulted by the mirth Delphine was expressing. "Sure. Do you not?"

"The idea that there is one perfect person out there for everyone?" Delphine shook her head. "No. The idea has always seemed terribly romantic and naive." Cosima leaned back in her chair, unconsciously putting space between her and Delphine.

Delphine noticed her retreat. "You don't agree?"

"I've seen it first hand. I grew up with it. My parents are still disgustingly in love after almost 40 years together." Cosima smiled fondly. "It's nice."

"My parents can barely stand to be in the same room together," Delphine said wryly.

"Sorry, that must be tough. Divorced?"

"No. That would actually be an improvement." Delphine shrugged. "It is what it is. If anything, it made me not regret choosing to focus my energy and attention on my work."

Cosima was saddened by her friend's somewhat bleak outlook on love and relationships. However, she didn't think Delphine would appreciate her sympathy. Spreading her arms out to indicate their surroundings, Cosima smiled. "Yeah. I mean, just look at how well that turned out for you."

There was a beat of silence, were Cosima worried she had offended the other woman, but then Delphine laughed. "Touché," she said, dipping her head in acknowledgement.


	5. Crazy Science

**Chapter 5: Crazy Science  
**  
It had only been a little over a week, but they had already settled into a routine. Every morning, after sharing a breakfast ration, Cosima would go outside to gather the various parts that had been scattered by the storm. Even though they weren't planning to conduct any of the original mission experiments the parts may prove useful for something else. They couldn't afford to waste any of their meager resources.

Since she was still healing, Delphine would remain in the hab, and ensure that all of the internal systems were operating as expected. Delphine had protested that it was just busy work, but Cosima wasn't budging. They couldn't risk Delphine further injuring herself or getting an infection. In their current circumstances, even an otherwise small problem could spiral into something life threatening if they didn't stay on top of things.

They had almost no margin for error.

Her top priority at the moment was establishing radio communication, even if short range, between the two of them. Being on a total communication blackout had them both feeling uneasy. If Cosima fell, or encountered any other type of difficulty while she was outside, it may be too late to do anything by the time Delphine discovered anything was wrong. For now, they had established a system where Cosima would check in every hour, usually just by making herself visible through one of the hab windows and giving a thumbs up. It was crude, but it got the job done for now, and it let them both breathe a little bit easier.

Since they had two rovers, Cosima had decided to cannibalize the second one for parts. The two rovers were equipped with a closed communications system that didn't rely on the primary communications dish to operate. Her plan was to try to route the communications that would have normally gone through the dish through the rovers system. It would take a little time, but time was not something that was in short supply.

Unlike food.

The meager food rations were a constant worry. The hab could produce air and water, but not food. Neither she nor Delphine had a lot of body mass to spare to start with, and Cosima could already see the effects of the reduced caloric intake on herself. It would only get worse, and more pronounced, with time. If they didn't figure out a solution they would starve to death long before the Leda IV crew arrived.

However, for now, Cosima was going to focus on the things she could fix. She finished unhooking the radio dish from the top of the rover, and carefully descended the ladder, not wanting to risk dropping it. If she damaged it, they didn't have a backup. Placing it on the hand cart, she grabbed the handle and made the short trek back to the hab.

* * *

"I think I have a possible solution to the food problem," Delphine said, her eyes shining with excitement.

Cosima looked up from the circuit board she was tinkering with, grateful for the interruption. So far, her hours of work had yielded little more than a few burnt fingers and more curses than she could count. She could use a bit of good news right now.

"Yeah?" She pushed her glasses up her nose. NASA had tried to talk her into lasik, saying the chunky frames were impractical in space, but she had refused.

Delphine nodded, walking over to sit across from Cosima at the table. "Potatoes."

Cosima frowned in confusion. "Potatoes?"

" _Oui!_ There are a few packs of vacuum sealed potatoes in our food stores. If we quarter them, and plant the pieces, we could have a potentially renewable food source. The grow cycle is typically 70 to 100 days depending on the variety. It may be enough to give us the extra food we need to last until Leda IV arrives."

"Seriously? That's great, but are they actually going to grow?" Cosima was far from a farmer, but she was pretty sure that the conditions on Mars were no more hospitable to plant life, than they were for human.

Delphine shrugged. "Hopefully. With a little bit of luck. We'd have to grow them in the hab of course. They would never survive outside."

"They don't need to be pollinated or anything?" Cosima vividly recalled her last girlfriend making her sit through a documentary on the coming bee apocalypse and how if the bees died, they were all fucked, because plants wouldn't be able to fertilize themselves, and humanity would starve to death.

" _Non_. Potatoes are capable of asexual reproduction. All of the child plants will be clones of the parent planet. Exact genetic duplicates."

"Clones? That's a little bit creepy."

"It's not creepy, it's just biology. It's actually fairly common in plant species. The real problem is the soil. It's nitrogen poor and arid. I think I've figured out the nitrogen problem, but I still haven't managed to solve the water problem."

"The water problem?" What Cosima knew about keeping plants alive was limited to the two pot plants she had kept in her door room during college. Botany had never interested her. Though, given the right motivation, she could see herself developing an interest in the subject.

"All plants require a lot of water to grow, but that is especially true of potatoes. They're almost 80% water. They wouldn't be my first choice of crop for such a dry, sandy soil, but it's all we have."

Cosima frowned, her mind already trying to puzzle out a possible solution to their problem. The hab produced enough water for their daily needs, but watering crops was another matter entirely. Plus, even if they could get that amount of water, they would still need to water the plants themselves. Transporting it would be a full-time, exhausting job.

Misinterpreting Cosima's frown, Delphine shook her head. "Nevermind. It was a silly idea."

"What? No! It's great. Seriously, I never would have thought of it. It's genius. I was just trying to think of a solution to our hydration problem." Cosiam furrowed her brow. "We have loads of hydrazine." The fuel tanks for the MAV were still in place, and even after a launch there would be more than enough left for their needs. "If we burn it over an iridium catalyst, and direct the resulting hydrogen to a concentrated area and burn it...voila! We can make it rain." Well, maybe not literally, but it should saturate the air, and hopefully the soil, with water vapor.

Delphine looked at her as though she were insane. A second later, she confirmed it. "Are you mad? You want to try to burn hydrogen inside the hab? You realize that if something goes wrong we are going to go up in a ball of flame."

"Do we have much of a choice? I know we haven't really talk about it, but if we don't figure out the food problem we're both dead anyway. Either we take a risk, and give ourselves a chance, or we don't, and seal our fate." Cosima shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'd really rather not starve to death."

Delphine chewed on her lip, looking undecided. "Come on, what do you say?" Cosima prodded. "Want to do some crazy science together?"

Finally, after a few more moments of contemplation, Delphine nodded with a resigned sigh. "Let's do some crazy science."

* * *

"You want us to do what?" Cosima asked incredulously.

"We need a source of nitrogen to enrich the soil," Delphine explained patiently.

"So you want us to grow poop potatoes?"

Delphine narrowed her eyes. "They aren't poop potatoes," Delphine huffed. "We are simply using the fecal matter to boost the nitrogen profile of the soil."

"I mean, they kinda are, but...is this even safe?" Even with her limited knowledge of plants, Cosima was pretty sure fertilizing with human waste was a big no-no.

"I admit, it wouldn't be my first choice. There are risks. But, as you said, we have to take risks if we hope to survive."

"Yeah, but I was thinking more like, cool risks, that involve fire, and potential explosions, not farming in our own shit."

"If you have another suggestion, I'm happy to hear it." Delphine crossed her arms and looked at Cosima expectantly. Waiting.

Cosima sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine." She pointed a finger at Delphine. "But you're on fertilizer duty."

* * *

As it turned out, figuring out the what was only the first part of the problem. The second part of the problem, was the where. They ultimately decided to convert the science pod of the hab to a makeshift greenhouse. If they were successful in creating enough water without blowing themselves up, they would need to concentrate it into a small, confined area.

Putting up the plastic sheeting was step one. Step two involved bringing in soil. A lot of soil.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Cosima asked, watching Delphine closely as she pulled on her environmental suit.

"I'm fine, Cosima." Delphine raised her arm, putting it through a full range of motion. "My side is feeling much better. This will go much faster with the two of us. We need to bring in over 250 cubic meters of soil. That will take you days if you do it alone."

Cosima nodded, conceding that Delphine had a point. As much as she would prefer not to put the blonde's still healing side to the test, it would be much more efficient with two of them.

"You'll tell me if you need a break? We don't need to rush to get this done today. One or two days isn't going to make a difference in the long run. I'd rather we be safe than sorry."

Delphine reached out, and for a heart stuttering moment Cosima thought she was going to cup her jaw. Instead, she clapped her hand onto Cosima's shoulder. "Did anyone ever tell you you look like a _chiot_ when you're worried."

Cosima pushed Delphine away playfully, doing her best to hold a blush in check. "Shut up. I do not. I just don't want to have to drag you back here if you start bleeding all over the place."

Delphine looked at her solemnly. "I promise I will do my best not to bleed on you."

"That's comforting. Well?" Cosima made a shooing motion with her hands. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

Cosima hadn't thought it was possible to have a job more tedious and mind numbingly boring than cleaning dust off the solar collectors, but she had been wrong. The only thing that made the endless monotony slightly more bearable was having Delphine to keep her company. For someone that claimed they didn't really have the time or inclination to make friends, Delphine was a wonderful conversationalist.

She had a sharp mind, and a fast wit that kept Cosima on her toes. It also made her acknowledge that her initial attraction to Delphine had bloomed into a full blown crush. Cosima had done her best to ignore her feelings, but even knowing it was probably a terrible idea, she couldn't seem to help herself. Delphine was simply...enchanting.

While Delphine had certainly been friendly, she had given Cosima no indications that she was attracted to women in general, or Cosima in particular. Even ignoring her possible straightness, or just general lack of interest, the situation they were in was a potential minefield of interpersonal conflict. Even married couples would find it a challenge to spend all day, every day, for years with only their spouse as company. Add to that the stress of knowing any small misstep could mean death, and it was just asking for trouble.

Cosima realized the only thing she could do was accept her feelings, but do her best to ignore them. There was nothing to gain, and so much to lose, by revealing them to Delphine. She and Delphine were well on their way to establishing a real friendship, and she didn't want to do anything that might endanger that. No matter how often she found herself daydreaming about whether the blonde's lips were as soft as they looked.

No, it was better to remain just friends.

Cosima deposited another shovel full of the loose martian soil into a collection bin and looked up to see Delphine resting a hand on her side, slightly hunched over.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cosima had to shout, because, much to her annoyance, she still hadn't finished the modifications to get the suit communication system up and running.

Delphine nodded, and gave her a thumbs up, but Cosima wasn't entirely buying it. Strain was visible around her eyes, and when she went to load the next shovel full of dirt into the bin, her movements were slow and deliberate.

"How about we call it for today?" Cosima suggested.

Delphine shook her head. "I'm fine. We're so close, and if we can get this done today then we can start on planting tomorrow."

"You sure?"

Delphine nodded, and though it went against her better judgement, Cosima agreed. Delphine wasn't a child, and if she said she was fine, Cosima had to respect that. She knew if the roles had been reversed she would have been annoyed with the constant attempts at mothering.

It ended up being another two hours of physically demanding work, and by the end Cosima would have happily traded her vintage Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book collection for a massage, but finally Delphine decided they had enough dirt.

"Study hard, they said. Join NASA, they said. Explore the cosmos, they said." Cosima collapsed onto a stool to tug off her boots. "They left out the back breaking physical labor part during their sales pitch," Cosima grumbled.

Delphine expelled a pained hiss. " _Merde_."

Cosima jerked her head up, and glanced at the blonde. Her suit was stripped to her waist, and she had a hand pressed tightly against her abdomen where the rod had punctured her skin. "What is it?" Cosima was already on her feet and halfway across the small room. "Are you okay?"

Delphine nodded, and looked up with a strained smile. "I'm fine."

Cosima narrowed her eyes. "Move your hand. Let me see."

"It's nothing."

Cosima crossed her arms. "If it's nothing then move your hand and let me see." Delphine looked like she wanted to argue, but finally she moved her hand. Cosima cursed when she saw the bright bloodstain on her shirt. The edges were darker, telling Cosima that it had been bleeding for a while. "Dammit Delphine, why didn't you say something."

"We were close to finished. It wasn't that serious. I'm fine. I must have popped a stitch."

"Yeah. No shit," Cosima grumbled. She knew she was overreacting a little bit, but seeing the blood on Delphine's shirt made her a little queasy. She told herself it was just because it was blood, and not because it was Delphine's specifically. "Come on. Finish stripping, and we'll get you stapled back together."

"I can take care of it," Delphine said, pushing the suit down her legs and stepping out of the pants. She reached down to pick up the suit, but Cosima waved her off, picking it up and placing it on one of the equipment lockers. "After all, I did promise not to bleed on you."

"Yeah, well. I won't hold you to it. I'm not going to make you patch yourself back together," Cosima protested.

* * *

Delphine pulled the hem of her shirt up, exposing the lower half of her stomach. Cosima's eyes skimmed over her toned abs before focusing in on the newly opened wound. Other than the popped staple, it appeared to be healing nicely. Using a pair of tweezers, she worked the loosened staple free.

Coating a piece of gauze liberally in alcohol, Cosima swabbed the area. Delphine hissed, pulling back. Cosima looked up at her questioningly.

"It's cold," Delphine protested.

"Serves you right," Cosima insisted, returning to her task. "You should have said something when you felt it pop."

"We were making good progress. I didn't want to slow us down."

Cosima sighed. She sat up straight, finished cleaning the area. "The only way we are going to get through this, is if we work together. If one of us needs a little extra help, there's no shame in asking for it. _El mayarah_ , Delphine."

Delphine frowned at her in confusion. "What language is that? Portuguese? My Portuguese is terrible."

Cosima shook her head, laughing. "No. Kryptonian."

The frown increased. "Kryptonian?"

"Yeah, you know. Superman, Supergirl. Last children of Krypton?" When Delphine continued to look at her blankly, Cosima sighed. "It looks like we are going to have to work on your knowledge of pop culture while we're stranded here. Luckily for you, you have an expert on your hands."

Delphine hummed, a small smile twisting her lips. "Oh yes, I am very lucky."

"Fine, make fun of me," Cosima grumbled good naturedly. "But you don't know what you're missing." Cosima picked up the the numbing hypodermic and pressed it against Delphine's skin, depressing the plunger. Cosima picked up the medical stapler next, pinching the edges of the wound together. She looked up at Delphine for confirmation, and after receiving a small nod, put a new set of staples in place.

"What does it mean?" Delphine asked a moment later, pulling her shirt back down. Cosima felt a fleeting moment of regret at losing sight of her toned midsection. It was just as well that she had never gone into medicine. She was pretty sure it was frowned on for doctors to ogle their patients.

"It means, 'stronger together.'" Cosima removed her gloves with a snap. "I think, given our situation, it's quite fitting. We both have our own strengths, and together, we stand a much better chance making it through this than we would alone."

Delphine looked at her silently for a few moments, before nodding. "I like that."

"Does that mean you'll tell me when you hurt yourself next time?" Cosima chided gently.

Delphine hopped off the exam chair. "Maybe."

Cosima shook her head. She was in so much trouble.


	6. Little Hab on the Planitia

**Chapter 6: Little Hab on the Planitia**

"This is truly revolting," Cosima complained, her voice muffled by the thick wads of cotton she had jammed up her nose.

Delphine rolled her eyes, depositing another spoonful of the pungent, nitrogen rich mixture into the dirt. "If you would stop complaining, we would finish this faster."

"This just better work. If I had to endure this for nothing, you're never going to hear the end of it," Cosima threatened playfully. She placed one of the quartered potatoes in the dirt and quickly covered it with soil. It didn't really help much with the smell.

"If this doesn't work, we'll both be dead," Delphine said flatly, but with just a hint of humor.

Cosima gasped. "Such a bleak outlook on our future."

Delphine glanced at Cosima over her shoulder. "You must be rubbing off on me."

Cosima bit her tongue on her initial response. Cosima was used to flirting with women, even straight ones. It was all harmless fun. However, she had decided that her natural inclinations toward flirtiness were better reigned in given their current situation. If only Delphine would stop serving up perfect openings.

"You have been well trained, my young apprentice."

Delphine looked at her curiously. "Aren't I older than you?"

"It's a quote," Cosima explained with a laugh. Delphine looked at her blankly. "From Star Wars?" Delphine just shook her head. "Delphiiine!" Cosima whined, scandalized. "Are you telling me you've never seen Star Wars?"

"Those campy old sci-fi movies? No."

"Those campy old- That's it," Cosima pointed her finger at Delphine emphatically. "You. Me. Movie marathon."

"You have them with you?"

"Um...of course I do. And you and I are going to watch all nine of them."

"Nine!"

Cosima nodded. "Technically, with spin-offs and character centric movies, there's way more, but for now we'll focus on the three, core trilogies."

"That will be very time consuming," Delphine protested.

Cosima looked at Delphine challengingly. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you have a pressing engagement somewhere?"

Delphine shook her head. "Fine. But if I'm going to watch some of your movies, you have to watch some of mine."

Cosima shrugged. "Sure. That seems fair." The pair worked in silence for a minute, falling into the familiar rhythm of fertilize, plant, cover, repeat. "So, what kinda movies are we talking about here?"

"I have an extensive botany documentary collection", Delphine said with a smirk.

"You tricked me," Cosima accused good naturedly.

"Hardly. You readily agreed. It's too late to back out now. A deal is a deal." Delphine stopped, peeling off her gloves with a snap. " _Enfin,_ we're done. _"_

Cosima looked at the bucket they had been using to carry the seed potatoes and noticed with some surprise that it was indeed empty. Her playful banter with Delphine had effectively distracted her from their less than pleasant task.

Cosima removed her own gloves, followed by her nose plug, and tossed them into the now empty bucket. "Now we just wait and see if our 274 little clones flourish."

"Now we wait," Delphine agreed, looking at their neat rows intently.

"I call dibs on the shower," Cosima said, dashing out of the pod before Delphine could stop her.

"Brat!" Delphine yelled after her with laugh.

* * *

Cosima sat crossed legged on the floor in front of her bunk. A mirror was propped up on the bed to give her a better view of what she was doing. She carefully separated a chunk of hair away from the rest, cursing, when some of it slipped through her fingers before she could properly secure it.

"What on earth are you doing?" Delphine asked. Cosima dropped her comb and the small piece of floss she held into her lap, and turned to greet the blonde. Cosima swallowed. Delphine was clad in a t-shirt and a pair of running shorts, which, given her long legs, were almost indecently short. Her hair was a mass of curls, which she was absently drying with a towel she had draped partly over one shoulder.

Fucking, Mars.

"Something I've always wanted to try, but due to NASA's stodgy rules, wasn't able to." Delphine tilted her head, clearly not following. "Dreads!"

"Dreads?" Delphine repeated slowly, walking over to join Cosima and sitting on the edge of her bed. Cosima did her best not to stare at the ridiculously long and toned legs now inches from her face. She mostly failed.

Cosima nodded, licking her lips and directing her gaze reluctantly upward. "I always thought they looked cool, and wanted to give them a go, but NASA can be a bunch of hard asses about conservative appearance." Cosima shrugged. "I figured it was now or never. It's not like they can fire me, right?"

Delphine looked at her intently, as though trying to picture the hairstyle. Finally, she nodded. "I think they will suit you."

Cosima smiled. "I'm so glad you approve, Dr. Cormier." Finished drying her own hair, Delphine tossed the towel to the side.

"Would you like a hand?" Delphine offered.

"That'd be great actually," Cosima replied. "I thought my digital dexterity would be up the task, but I underestimated how fiddly it was going to be." Cosima told herself her eagerness to agree had nothing to do with feeling Delphine's fingers combing through her hair.

"Teach me what to do," Delphine requested, looking at her intently. Cosima's mind immediately imagined the same statement in a decidedly more intimate context. Cosima was starting to wonder if Delphine had figured out her crush, and was deliberately trying to torture her. Or, more likely, Cosima was just frustrated as hell. Even though there were only two of them, finding alone time to...take care of herself, was frustratingly difficult to come by.

"Okay, so, it's pretty simple. Just section out a piece of hair about a ½ inch in diameter, backcomb it, and then secure each end with a piece of floss."

"Floss?" Delphine asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"I had to improvise. That's probably contributing to the difficulty, but if you wrap it around a few times it should work okay."

Delphine nodded. "Okay, I think I understand. Turn around." Delphine spread her legs apart, giving Cosima room in which to sit. Swallowing a groan, Cosima turned around and scooted back into place. Delphine was definitely going to be the death of her.

Things only got worse when she felt the blonde's legs press lightly into her sides. She balled up her fists and put them in her lap so she didn't do something stupid. Like give in to the temptation to run them up Delphine's nearby calf. When she felt Delphine rake her fingers along her scalp, working through her hair, she almost called the whole thing off.

Delphine was silent, intent on her task, speaking only when she needed another piece of floss from Cosima. Like with the potato planting, they quickly fell into a comfortable rhythm, and Cosima was able to anticipate when Delphine needed something without having to ask for it.

"I've been thinking about doing something with my own hair," Delphine said idly, after a few minutes.

"Oh, yeah?" Cosima, who had let her eyes slide shut, and was just enjoying the contact, asked lazily.

"My hair has always been a fair amount of work to manage. The curls, they can be unruly." Cosima hummed quietly in agreement. Her own hair had a bit of curl, and she knew how much of a pain it could be at times. "With resources so limited, I've been debating about just shaving it all off."

That got Cosima's full attention. Throwing off the comfortable lassitude she had fallen into, Cosima sat upright, and turned. Delphine cursed lightly when the piece of hair she was working on was pulled out of her grasp.

"Shave it off?" Cosima asked, feeling more than a little alarmed at the prospect.

Delphine looked at her curiously. " _Oui_. It is a lot of hassle and it would be one less thing to deal with." Cosima bit back her instinctive protest. She loved Delphine's hair, but it was hardly her place to tell the other woman what she would do with it. She would by lying to herself if she didn't acknowledge that a good part of her objection came from the fact that she would regret never being able to find out what it would like to bury her fingers into the mass of blonde curls. Which, was of course, ridiculous. That was never going to happen anyway.

"I mean, if that's what you want to do," Cosima offered half-heartedly.

A small furrow appeared between Delphine's brows. "You don't approve of the idea." It wasn't really a question.

Cosima laughed, a little uncomfortable with the scrutiny, and afraid it would reveal a little too much of her true feelings. "Delphine, it's your hair. If you want to shave it off, I say get the clippers."

Delphine was silent for a moment, before her fingers once again found their way into Cosima's hair. "It was just a thought. I haven't decided anything yet."

"Well, if you do, and you want a hand, just let me know. I owe you one."

* * *

Cosima pulled the vent hood down over the small pile of iridium and stepped back to double check their setup. Delphine stood beside her, doing the same. Now that the plants were in the ground they needed to get them watered.

Cosima turned to look at Delphine. The blonde was looking at the setup pensively, lower lip caught between her teeth.

"Everything look good?" Cosima asked.

Delphine nodded slowly. "It looks according to the plan we drew up."

"So why so worried?"

"Other than the fact that this is madness?"

"Yeah. Other than that."

Delphine shook her head, frowning. "I don't know. I just have this sense that we're forgetting something."

"We don't have to do this now. If you want to wait another day or two, we can just water by hand for a little while."

Delphine hesitated, but finally shook her head. "No. I'm probably just being overly cautious."

"You sure?"

Delphine nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay. Well...here goes nothing." Cosima turned the valve on the small tank of hydrazine, releasing a small, steady drip, onto the pile of iridium. Even though Cosima couldn't see it, she knew that pure hydrogen gas was now rising up the vent on the top of the hood.

Reaching for the small pile of tinder they had fashioned, Cosima lit it on fire, using the soldering gun from her circuit board repair kit. A small flame sprang to life, and Cosima lifted it carefully, and walked toward the hood. Delphine had tried to take over this part of the process, since she was taller, but Cosima had insisted that the risk should be hers, since it was her idea.

She was reaching up on tiptoes to slid the small pile of burning tinder into place when Delphine clapped a hand on her shoulder, and jerked her back. " _Arrêtez_!"

The sudden motion sent the burning material towards Cosima, and she frantically brushed it off her chest. "Shit! What the fuck, Delphine!" Cosima yelled, turning to glare at the blonde.

"I'm sorry! I just, I realized what was bothering me. We forgot to account for our breathing."

Cosima mentally ran the possible implications. "That would have been a big kaboom."

"Big kaboom?"

"Marvin the Martian?" Cosima sighed, now used to seeing the somewhat blank look on Delphine's face when she mentioned almost any pop culture reference from the past. "Never mind." Cosima saw a few still smoldering embers on the ground and tamped them down with the toe of her shoe.

"Good catch, by the way. I really appreciate not being blown halfway across the hab."

Delphine laughed, the sound a little shaky, and a lot relieved. "I'm just sorry I didn't catch it earlier." Delphine shook her head, her face clouded with self-reproach. "We can't afford these kinds of mistakes."

"Hey, cut yourself some slack," Cosima protested. "I didn't catch it either. We'll re-run the calculations, figure out the correct mix, and try again. No harm done."

Delphine sighed, before eventually nodding. "You're right."

After the recalculations were complete, Cosima and Delphine returned to the makeshift greenhouse to try again. Much to their relief, the lighting process was free of any mishaps, and they were left with a small, burning flame at the top of the vent pipe. With any luck, the air was already filling with moisture. There was nothing to do now, but wait.

Luckily, she had just the thing to pass the time.

* * *

"So, there are a number of arguments about the best order to watch the films," Cosima said, as she settled onto the small couch beside Delphine. It wasn't the most comfortable piece of furniture, but Cosima thought it would be a bit forward to invite Delphine into her bunk to watch movies.

Delphine looked at her skeptically. "There are debates about such things?"

"Delphine, we're geeks," Cosima explained patiently. "There are debates about everything. You can only see Star Wars for the first time once. It's important that you don't mess it up."

A small smile twisted Delphine's lips and she nodded solemnly. "Yes, of course. So, what did you decide?" Cosima got the distinct feeling she was being patronized, but she let it go. This was too important to get sidetracked.

"Well, a few people say that episode order is the best way, but I think that's bullshit. There are three main contenders, since for our purposes we are ignoring the spin offs, and the various re-releases. First there's the traditional theatrical release order of IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII, IX. This is the safe, boring, vanilla order. A classic, but I think we can do better.

"Next up is episode order, which, as the name suggests, is I through IX and would be faithful to the movies internal chronology. However, I think this option creates more issues than it resolves.

"Finally, we come to the last, and in my opinion the best option, and my pick. The Machete Order - IV, V, II, III, VI, VII, VIII, IX. This one is a bit unorthodox because it drops Episode I entirely, however, it tells the best overall story. Don't worry though, I want you to have the full experience so we are still totally going to watch Episode I."

"Oh good. I was concerned for a moment." Delphine was definitely patronizing her.

Cosima scowled at Delphine and poked her lightly in her good side, causing the blonde to flinch away with a laugh. "Are you making fun of me?"

" _Moi?_ " Delphine shook her head, looking the very picture of innocence. "No, I would never." Her eyes twinkled with suppressed amusement and Cosima had to strongly resist the urge to lean in and kiss her. _Don't be an idiot, Niehaus._

"Go ahead. Have your fun, but we'll see who has the last laugh. By the time I'm done with you you'll be a craven addict. Begging me to watch the spin-offs, the animated series. Jonesing for a chance to read one of the many novels in the expanded universe. Just you wait, Cormier."

* * *

When the opening crawl started, Cosima felt the familiar goosebumps spring up on her arms. No matter how many times she watched them, she still had a visceral reaction to that iconic music. She glanced sideways to see Delphine reading the text, a small, adorable wrinkle of concentration between her brows.

Cosima was sure that Delphine was going to love it.

* * *

"Why are they just sitting there in front of that larger ship? They are acting as though space is two dimensional." Delphine frowned at the screen, arms crossed over her chest.

Cosima tore her eyes away from the screen, where Leia and company were about to meet Vader for the first time, to look at Delphine. "Huh?" No matter how many times she watched it, she always got caught up in the story.

Delphine pointed at the screen, where the small rebel ship was being swallowed by the massive Imperial Star Destroyer. "They could go in any direction, there is no up or down in space, and yet they just sit there. They deserve to be caught."

Cosima laughed. "Delphine! They're the good guys. You can't root for the good guys to get captured."

"I can if they're going to have such poor tactics."

Cosima shook her head. "You need to cut them a little slack. This movie was revolutionary for the time. You just have to overlook the little stuff."

* * *

Delphine seemed unwilling to overlook the little stuff.

Every few minutes, she would interjet with some small comment. When a stretch of five minutes passed without comment, Cosima hoped that Delphine had finally developed an appreciation for the cinematic masterpiece that was Star Wars.

As the Binary Sunset theme swelled, Cosima glanced over to see Delphine's reaction.

"Delphine!" Cosima exclaimed, scandalized. "You can't fall asleep!"

Delphine, who had started to nod off, jerked upright at Cosima's rebuke. "I'm sorry...It's just...not much has been happening."

Cosima tightened her lips into a flat line. "Are you implying that Star Wars is boring?"

Delphine shrugged, looking unruffled by Cosima's glare. "We have spent the last ten minutes watching robots-"

"-droids"

"-walk through the desert. Followed by Luke's incessant whining."

Cosima narrowed her eyes, starting to regret her decision to have Delphine watch the movie. "Just pay attention. It starts to pick up in a little bit. They just have to lay the foundation first."

* * *

A few minutes later, Cosima was wondering if it would have been better to just let Delphine fall asleep.

"A parsec is not a unit of time," Delphine complained.

"That's not really the point," Cosima explained, trying to remain patient. "The point is that the Millenium Falcon, and her pilot, are badasses."

"He seems like a petty thug."

"That's what makes him a badass!"

* * *

When end credits finally rolled, Cosima turned to Delphine. "So, what did you think?"

Delphine pursed her lips, clearly searching for something positive to say. "I'm sure, in it's day, it was very good," she said, attempting to be diplomatic.

Cosima sighed, her shoulders dropping. "Seriously, Delphine? You didn't like it even a little bit?"

Delphine shrugged, managing to look at least a little apologetic. "I've never really been a fan of science fiction. Their depiction of the science is always terribly flawed. How is it that all of these species miraculously manage to breathe the same atmosphere? Do you know how astronomically unlikely that would be? The evolutionary coincidences required would be-"

Cosima held up her hand, cutting Delphine off. "Okay, okay. I get it. It's a bit unrealistic."

"A bit?" Delphine pushed.

Cosima huffed. "Okay, fine, really unrealistic. But, as a kid, it was one of the things that cemented my desire to actually get out there one day, and explore the stars." Cosima spread her arms out. "And now look at me. Living on another planet."

"Not exactly interstellar travel," Delphine pointed out, though not unkindly.

"No, but it's a necessary first step. To get to be a part of that path to the stars? It's more than I could have ever hoped for."

Delphine gazed at Cosima, her expression softening. "Put on the next movie."

Cosima looked at her, surprised. "Are you sure? I know I told you we were going to to watch all nine, but if you really don't like it, I'm not going to make you sit through over 20 hours of the stuff."

Delphine nodded. "I'm sure. I think you're right. I need to overlook the science, and focus on the story."

* * *

Cosima yawned, her jaw cracking, as she shuffled toward the converted science bay. She had Delpine had stayed up late the evening before, managing to get through Episode III before calling it quits.

She was eager to see if their work yesterday had paid off. If not, they were going to have to figure out another way to keep the plants adequately watered. As she approached the plastic sheeting, she saw she wasn't the only one that was curious.

"How's it look?" Cosima asked, her voice still scratchy from sleep.

At her question, Delphine turned, a wide, excited smile stretching across her face. "It worked!"

"Yeah?" Walking closer, Cosima saw small beads of condensation rolling down the plastic. Delphine had cut a small viewport into the plastic, and Cosima raised herself up slightly to peer through. The soil, which yesterday had been dry and loose, was now dark and damp. "Holy shit, it did work."

Delphine laughed, looped her arm loosely around Cosima's shoulders, and pulling her into a one armed hug. "You sound surprised."

Cosima dropped back onto her heels, feeling a little guilty about how much she was enjoying the casual touch from her friend. Nevertheless, she decided to enjoy it while it lasted, and slung her arm lightly around Delphine's waist.

"Maybe more relieved? I really wasn't looking forward to hauling pails of water if this whole thing turned out to be a bust."

"Well, it looks like you're safe. We'll just have to find some other way to fill the time."

Cosima bit her lip at the mental images that immediately sprung to mind. As appealing as they were, she doubted greatly that Delphine would be interested. "Maybe we can brainstorm over breakfast." Cosima tugged Delphine back towards the living quarters. "C'mon, I'm hungry, and it's your turn to cook."

 **AN: I am trying to push myself to get this fic done. I have a compete draft, and I could spend an eternity tinkering and second guessing, so in an effort to NOT do that I am going to try to post twice a week(ish). I'm thinking Monday and Thursday? I'll see how it goes, but there will still be at least one update a week.**


	7. Not Even if You Were the Last Woman

**Chapter 7: Not Even if You Were the Last Woman on Mars  
**  
If anyone had told Cosima three months ago that she would be trapped on Mars, facing almost certain death, and yet possibly be the happiest she had ever been in her life, she would have asked if they were high, and could she possibly get some of whatever they were taking. But, even given their dire circumstances, Cosima found it hard to refute the statement.

Over the past months they had moved past the tentative friendship that had marked their first weeks together, and she would now count Delphine amongst her closest friends. Afterall, once their daily list of chores was completed there was little more to do than get to know each other. And they had. Cosima thought Delphine knew more about her than any of her other friends and family. Maybe even more than Sarah.

At first she had worried that they would grow tired of each other. That the forced confinement, and lack of other people would drive them to want to kill each other before too long. However, so far, that hadn't happened. On the rare occasions, when one of them needed space, the other seemed to sense it without being told, and would back off. Cosima had never had this type of easy comradery before, not even with any of her past girlfriends.

Not that Delphine was her girlfriend. Not even close. Cosima was still doing her best to ignore her feelings, but sometimes Delphine didn't make it easy. Cosima had discovered that Delphine was a toucher. Nothing inappropriate, but as their friendship had developed, Delphine would reach out for contact. A quick squeeze of her hand. A casual hand resting on her back. Playfully picking up one of her dreads to check their progress. All innocent enough, but the touches still sent Cosima's mind wandering to places better left unexplored.

Cosima wondered if it was just Delphine's nature, or if the effects of going months with almost no real human contact were taking their toll. She couldn't blame her if it were the latter. Cosima had never put much thought into how much she actually touched other people until she couldn't anymore. On more than one occasion she had to squelch the almost uncontrollable urge to walk up to Delphine and just….wrap her in a hug.

She missed the warmth, and the contact, and the ability to fully relax into someone and have them support you.

So far, she had contented herself with their nightly TV or movie time. After the Star Wars marathon, they had decided to make it a regular part of their daily routine. They had converted one of the empty bunks into a mini movie watching nest, which was much more comfortable than the small sofa, and every night they would settle in for a few hours before bed. With seven crew members, and hundreds of hours of video from each, they didn't lack for content.

Cosima had grown to crave those few hours when she could cuddle up against Delphine's side without self consciousness or guilt. If the way the Delphine pressed up against her in return was anything to go by, she figured the blonde enjoyed their time just as much as she did. Cosima had decided to just enjoy it for what it was, and not think too much about the fact that she wished there could be more.

" _Cosima, how much longer do you plan to be out there?_ " Delphine's voice filled her helmet, the tone laced with excitement. Much to her eternal vindication she had finally managed to route the suit communications through the salvaged com array from the second rover. They now had hab to suit, and hab to rover communications.

Cosima finished brushing off the last solar panel. "Just finished up. I should be headed in shortly. Why?"

" _Hurry. I have something to show you._ " Cosima detected impatience, but not anxiety, so she figured whatever it was, it couldn't be bad news. Nevertheless, she decided to call it quits for the day and head back to the hab.

* * *

Cosima barely had time to clear the airlock before Delphine pounced on her. She pulled impatiently on her arm, almost sending Cosima toppling to the ground.

"Hey, give me a sec," Cosima said with a laugh. Delphine, impatient, reached to unhook the air tank from the back of her suit. "If I knew you were going to be this eager to get me out of my clothes I would have come back sooner," Cosima joked.

As they had grown more comfortable, Cosima had eased her personal ban on flirty remarks. Delphine seemed to find them amusing, and it gave Cosima a much needed sense of normalcy. Plus, she wasn't entirely sure she could have avoided it forever. Delphine didn't seem to mind.

Getting in and out of the environmental suits had become second nature, and it wasn't long before Cosima was standing there in nothing more than her undershirt and pants.

"I'm all yours. Be gentle," she said, spreading her hands out wide to her sides. "Or not." Delphine didn't need to know that she wasn't entirely joking.

Delphine shook her head, but instead of leading her out of the equipment room, she circled around behind Cosima. "Cover your eyes." Before giving her a chance to comply, Delphine was placing her hands over Cosima's eyes. "On second thought. I don't trust you not to cheat."

"Blindfolded? Kinky. I like it." A hot puff of air blew against her neck when Delphine laughed.

"In your dreams, Niehaus." Oh, if only Delphine knew, she would probably run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

"Lead the way." Cosima tried to turn her head, not entirely comfortable with the loss of one of her senses. She trusted Delphine, but it still left her feeling a bit unsettled. "I'm trusting you not to walk me into any walls."

"I promise, you will arrive without a scratch on you."

The hab wasn't very big, so within 50 steps they had reached their destination. When Delphine removed her hands, Cosima fought the urge to grab them and put them back. She was surprised, but not unhappily so, when Delphine rested her hands gently on her shoulders. Delphine may be a toucher, but even for her, this amount of contact wasn't typical.

"Open your eyes and take a look." Delphine's breath was hot on her ear, and Cosima did her best not to shiver. Opening her eyes she blinked, getting her bearings. Delphine had led them to converted science bay.

Cosima glanced over the patch of dirt, but didn't see what had so excited her friend. When she turned to look back at Delphine, she found herself almost nose to nose with the doctor. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

Delphine placed her finger along Cosima's jaw and nudged her head to face forward. Resting her chin on Cosima's shoulder she extended her arm, directing Cosima where to train her gaze. "Look."

It took her a moment, but Cosima refocused, following the line of Delphine's arm. Delphine's warmth and scent in such close proximity was affecting her ability to concentrate. She missed it on the first pass, but there, like a tiny beacon of hope, was the smallest speck of green. It looked wonderfully out of place in a sea of red sand. "Holy shit...is that…No fucking way."

Delphine nodded excitedly, wrapping her arms around Cosima's midsection and placing a quick kiss on her cheek. " _Oui_! We did it!"

Though she wanted nothing more than to stand here like this forever, Cosima spun around, and engulfed Delphine in a crushing hug. "No. _You_ did it. This was all you, Delphine."

Delphine shook her head, wrapping her arms around Cosima's back and lifting her a few inches off the ground. " _Non_. It was a team effort. I could not have done this without you."

Reluctantly, Cosima relaxed her grip, and Delphine followed suit, setting her firmly back on the ground. Cosima grasped Delphine's hand, squeezing it tightly, and spun around to marvel at the tiny, green sprout. "I can't believe it worked. This is like...fucking history. Dude, we're gonna be famous!"

Delphine laughed, delighted.

"We should totally celebrate," Cosima insisted, spinning back around to face Delphine.

"And what do you suggest?" Delphine asked with an indulgent smile.

"I say we live it up. Dinner, one for each of us, dessert, maybe a little dancing. The works." There was a nagging little voice in the back of her head, which sounded uncannily like her cousin Sarah, telling her that seemed suspiciously like a date. Much like she usually did with her cousin, Cosima decided to ignore it.

Delphine looked torn. "We don't know if the potatoes will survive. Even if they do, we will still need to conserve our food," Delphine said, ever the pragmatist. Cosima wasn't in the mood to be pragmatic. They had so little to celebrate, and to miss this chance seemed almost criminal. Besides, if she didn't find a way to burn off some of this excess energy, she was afraid she might explode.

"Delphiiine, c'mon. How often are you the first woman to successfully grow potatoes on Mars? On Mars, Delphine!" Delphine still looked undecided. "Please?" she asked, with what she hoped was her most endearing smile.

Delphine seemed to consider for a moment, before nodding. "Okay. You've convinced me. Let's celebrate."

Cosima smiled. She had been expecting Delphine to put up much more of a fight, but she wasn't about to question her good fortune.

* * *

"What'll it be?" Cosima asked, turning back to look at Delphine who was sitting at the small dining table. "Apple Crisp, Creme Brulee, or a brownie?"

"Brownie," Delphine said, without a moment of hesitation.

Cosima nodded, and grabbed the packet with a small smirk. Cosima had learned the blonde was a total chocoholic. It wasn't the fine french chocolates that the Delphine had confessed to missing more than just about anything from Earth, but it would do in a pinch.

"Anything for the best botanist on the planet," Cosima said with exaggerated deference. To her delight, a faint blush stained Delphine's cheeks. "Don't be embarrassed. You rocked this! Own it."

"I'll try. I'm not used to such gushing."

"Well, get used to it. Because I am now the official president of the Dr. Delphine Cormier fan club."

"My own fanclub? How flattering." Delphine propped her chin on her hand and looked at Cosima with a fond smile. "How's membership?"

"Well, it's still pretty low at the moment, but, never fear, that will change. The first item on my presidential agenda is to spread the word far and wide about how brilliant and amazing you are." Cosima sat down, prying open the dessert packet. Breaking the brownie in half she handed Delphine her share. "Trust me, it's gonna be huge. All we need is a planet with a population bigger than two."

Delphine shook her head, accepting the dessert with a smile. "You're silly."

"I only speak the truth." She held out her brownie towards Delphine. "Cheers."

Delphine looked at her for a moment, confused, before she realized Cosima's intent. She tapped her brownie against Cosima's. "Cheers."

Delphine bit into her brownie and let out a sound that Cosima had only dreamed about. Often. "Oh, _mon Dieu_ ," Delphine moaned, around a mouthful of brownie. "This is so good." Delphine's eyes slid shut in pure bliss, and all thoughts of her own brownie fled. Still chewing, Delphine opened her eyes and looked at Cosima. "Are you not going to eat yours?"

Snapped out of her trance, Cosima nodded, taking a bite. "You're right, this is really good," Cosima mumbled, barely tasting the dessert, since her brain was a bit short circuited.

Delphine hummed, licking the remaining crumbs from her fingers. Cosima almost offered the rest of her brownie to Delphine, knowing she would derive far more pleasure from watching the other woman eat it, than consuming it herself, but she knew that would look suspicious. Plus, she needed the calories.

Swallowing her final bite, Cosima stood up from the table, and walked over to her bunk to retrieve her computer. She need to put some distance between them before she did something she might later regret. She queued up her go to playlist for when she wanted to dance and completely lose herself in the music. The thumping beat of the house music filled the hab. She smiled, holding out her hand.

Delphine grasped her offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Cosima walked backwards, dragging Delphine into the center of the hab's living area. It wasn't a lot of room, but it would have to do.

Somewhere around the middle of the first song, Cosima realized that dancing with Delphine had probably been a terrible idea. If suppressing her attraction for Delphine was difficult on a normal day, it was almost impossible when the blonde was bumping up against her, her skin flushed from exertion.

She really needed to figure out how to get some more "quality" alone time pretty soon. You would think it would be easy, since there were only two of them, but it had proved frustratingly, in every sense of the word, difficult.

Delphine grabbed her by the hand, and spun Cosima in toward her, causing them to collide, chest to chest. Cosima braced her hands on Delphine's shoulders, attempting to steady herself and catch her breath. She had lost track of how long they had been dancing, but she was winded, and more than a little sweaty. Then again, that could just be due to her proximity to Delphine, and the blonde's hands that would occasionally find themselves on Cosima's hips.

Pushing away slightly, she looked up at Delphine, and was greeted by a grin as big as her own. Cosima didn't think she had ever seen the blonde look quite this happy. Not even when she had shown her the tiny green shoot earlier. Her eyes were positively sparkling, and the cutest little dimples were creasing her cheeks.

Looking back, Cosima wasn't sure if it was adrenaline, or endorphins, or just the fact that every day could quite literally be their last.

Her resolve finally cracked, and, unable to resist, she slid the hand resting on Delphine's shoulder up to cup her jaw lightly. Delphine stilled, but didn't pull away. Cosima took that as a tacit signal to move in, so she did.

When their lips connected, Cosima's eyes slid shut. Though she wanted to press forward, she kept the pressure gentle, not wanting to spook Delphine. Lost though she was in the contact, it didn't take long for Cosima to realize that Delphine wasn't kissing her back. Instead, she was standing rigid, her muscles tense under Cosima's hands.

Breaking the kiss, Cosima backed away with a frown. She had been sure she had read the situation correctly. All evening, the blonde's normally casual touches had seemed to escalate. An occasional hand on her back was normal. A full body hug was not. Neither was a kiss, even if only on the cheek. The way she had trailed her hands over her when they danced. Cosima had been so sure.

Apparently she had been wrong. Her own feelings clouding her judgement and making her see things that weren't there.

Cosima felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, realizing that she had read Delphine's excitement over the success in the greenhouse all wrong. Walking backward, she bumped into the table. Thankful for a distraction, Cosima turned and switched off the music. The sudden silence in the hab was deafening.

Much though she wanted to run, Cosima knew they would have to deal with this. Turning back, she offered Delphine an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I got a bit caught up in the moment. It won't happen again."

Delphine walked forward a few steps, but stopped well short of Cosima. Cosima tried not to read too much in to the action, but it was difficult. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize it's just...I'm not…"

"You're not gay," Cosima finished for her. She wasn't sure why the words were so difficult for her to say. It wasn't something she didn't already know. Her loneliness and wishful thinking had led her to read too much into Delphine's friendly gestures. Cosima had been down this road before, but it had never felt quite like this.

Delphine nodded, looking relieved. "I really like you, Cosima, but I'm not…" Delphine shook her head. She smiled at Cosima awkwardly. "If I were, you would be-"

Cosima held up her hands. "Stop. Please. You don't need to explain. I get it. Really. I never should have done that, and I hope we can just forget it ever happened."

Delphine looked like she had more she wanted to say, but instead, she nodded. "Consider it forgotten."

Cosima smiled tightly. "Great." She turned, snapping the lid of her laptop closed and picking it up, holding it protectively over her chest like a shield. "Well, I'm gonna call it a night. It's been a long day."

Without waiting for a response, Cosima did what her instincts had been urging her to do from the moment she realized Delphine wasn't kissing her back. She ran.


	8. Well, That Escalated Quickly

**Chapter 8: Well, That Escalated Quickly**

The problem, Cosima soon discovered, was that even on a planet with a total population of two, there really wasn't anywhere to run. The irony on the situation was not lost on her. Which wasn't to say that Cosima didn't give it her best try.

Cosima had allowed herself to lose focus. She had let herself become distracted by her infatuation with Delphine, and she had lost track of the bigger picture in the process.

Yes, they needed to eat to survive, but at some point, if they managed to last long enough, they were also going to need to escape. In preparation for the Leda missions, NASA had deployed MAVs to each of the mission landing sites. Their only hope of getting off Mars was to reach the Leda IV site.

Of course, nothing on Mars was easy. The first problem was that the site was over 3200 km away. The second, larger, problem, was that the rover had a maximum operating distance of 15 km before the battery needed to be recharged at the hab. The rovers had been designed for short, local trips. Not thousand kilometer long trans planetary treks.

If they were to have any hope of reaching the site, then a solution was going to need to be found to both extend the rover's range, and charge it on the go. So Cosima dedicated herself to figuring it out. If it also happened to mean that it got her out of the hab for most of the day, and her mind off Delphine, well, all the better. She needed some distance from Delphine, and this was the perfect excuse.

Delphine had made a half-hearted offer to help, but Cosima had told her that she was still in the brainstorming stages, and Delphine hadn't put up much of a fight. Cosima tried her best to ignore the twinge of hurt at the realization that Delphine didn't want to be around her much at the moment either.

Cosima knew that they would eventually get past it. It would just take a little bit of time. She had made passes at friends before and been rebuffed. A little time, and a little distance, and things had always worked themselves out. It just sucked in the meantime.

It was good that she now knew exactly where she stood with Delphine. She could stop wasting her time and energy wondering if she was reading the blonde's signals correctly, and direct her attention to something that truly mattered.

Getting them off Mars.

* * *

Cosima stayed outside as long as she reasonably could, but eventually it was time to return to the hab. When she entered the living quarters she found Delphine sitting at the table.

"You didn't have to wait for me," Cosima said, noticing the unopened food pouch in front of the blonde.

"It's fine," Delphine said. "It's bad enough fresh. I wouldn't want to subject you to leftovers." Cosima did her best to muster up a smile at Delphine's attempt to ease the uncomfortable tension. Cosima had the urge to apologize again, for ruining everything, but she knew it would probably just make it worse. There wasn't anything else to say, and they had both agreed that ignoring it ever happened was the best course of action.

Reluctantly, Cosima pulled out her chair and sat down. Delphine opened the pack and poured in the hot water. They waited in awkward silence as the meal heated through. Luckily the meals didn't take long to "cook" and Delphine was soon dividing up the contents.

Cosima dug in immediately, relieved to have somewhere to divert her attention.

Delphine finally broke the silence. "How was your progress today?" Unlike on previous days, they hadn't kept up a steady stream of communication over the radio. Their normal easy conversations had been reduced to brief check-ins just to make sure everything was still okay.

Cosima looked up, shrugging her shoulders. "Not too bad. I managed to get the batteries pulled out rover two, and I should be able to hook them up to rover one tomorrow. That alone will double our effective range."

"That's good," Delphine said, nodding as she took another bite of her dinner.

"Yeah."

"What will you do next?"

"Next step is going to be try to modify the power supply to take a charge directly from the solar panels. That way we won't be tied to charging at the hab."

"Will that be possible?"

"Should be. The bigger problem is going to be finding the balance between the power needed to charge the batteries, and the space available on the rover to carry them."

Delphine nodded. "If you need my assistance, you'll ask?"

"Yeah, of course," Cosima replied, voice subdued. She hated this. Hated that they were so stiff and uncomfortable with each other. Delphine was doing her best to try to have some semblance of a normal conversation, but it just wasn't the same. Cosima mourned the loss of their easy camaraderie and once again cursed herself for her stupidity the day before.

 _You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? You just had to kiss her._

Cosima cleared her throat. "How did the route analysis go?" Cosima asked, trying to do her part to hold up her end of the conversation.

While Cosima was focusing on getting rover one ready to make the trip, Delphine had been tasked with charting a potential route. They couldn't afford to run into a dead end and be forced to backtrack. They needed to find the best, but not necessarily the most direct, route. It was still many months away, but it gave them something to work towards. Small, attainable goals to keep them motivated and moving forward.

"Good. The maps are not as detailed as I would like, but we'll make it work." Delphine gave her a ghost of a smile. Cosima took a small measure of comfort in the fact that Delphine was still talking about them as a team. At least she hadn't managed to ruin that.

Dinner finished, Cosima pushed away from the table. She wasn't typically one to run away from her problems, preferring to face them head on. However, all she wanted to do right now was escape. Only time could fix this.

"What are we watching tonight?" Delphine asked.

"Oh, um, I don't think I'm up to it tonight." Cosima tried to hide her surprise at the request. She would have thought that the last thing Delphine would want right now was to squish up against her in a tiny bunk. Maybe she was just trying to pretend everything was still normal. While Cosima could appreciate the effort, she wasn't up to pretending right now.

"I think I'm just going to shower, and then call it a night."

"Oh. _D'accord."_ Cosima thought she saw a flash of disappointment cross Delphine's face, but decided she must be imagining things. When Cosima turned and left the room, and thought she heard Delphine murmur sweet dreams in French, she knew she was imagining things.

 _Keep it together, Niehaus. It's way too soon for you to be losing your mind already._

* * *

It had been an exhausting week, both physically and emotionally, but Cosima couldn't complain about the progress that had been made. The one potato plant had proven not to be a fluke, and they now had rows and rows of small, green plants. The rover project was coming along as well, and Cosima was hoping to take it out for a test run by the middle of next week.

The final thing left to do was to attach a couple of solar panels to the exterior sides of the rover. For that, she was going to require Delphine's assistance so she was leaving it for last. Things had gotten better between them; the awkwardness fading more with each passing day. They had even resumed their nightly TV ritual, though Cosima had suggested they move it to the couch. Delphine hadn't protested.

All in all, it seemed like things were slowly getting back to normal. Which was why, when Cosima came out of the bathroom after her evening shower, her stomach dropped when she found Delphine sitting at the table, hands steepled in front of her, waiting.

Cosima knew that look. It screamed "we need to talk about something." Something that you probably don't want to hear, but that needs to be said anyway. She had seen it on more than one of her past girlfriends right before they broke up with her.

"Hey, what's up?" Cosima tried to keep her tone light. Hearing her, Delphine looked up, and drew in a deep breath. Delphine twisted her fingers together nervously, as though trying to work up the nerve to say whatever was on her mind. _Well, fuck._ If she had held any hope that maybe she had been wrong in her interpretation, that was now gone.

"I think we should talk."

Cosima sighed. Sometimes she hated being right. In her experience, those words never preceded anything positive. "Do we really? I thought we agreed to just forget about it?" Cosima didn't see the point in playing coy. There was only one thing that Delphine could want to talk to her about that would leave the blonde looking so pensive and uneasy.

"That's the problem. I can't _stop_ thinking about it." Cosima frowned, cocking her head slightly to the side. It might just be wishful thinking on her part, but Delphine didn't sound mad. She sounded almost...wistful.

"Like...in a not bad way?" she asked, curiously, trying to keep her hope in check, but needing clarification. She had been down that road before, and it had landed them in their current predicament. She didn't want to repeat past mistakes.

Delphine stood up, and started pacing back and forth in the small space. Cosima remained silent, letting Delphine exercise her nervous energy.

Delphine finally stopped, turning to face Cosima and rubbing at her temple. "I never thought much about bisexuality. I know it exists in nature of course, but for myself?" Delphine shook her head. "There was never a reason to. My career was always my main focus, and relationships...they were a pleasant enough distraction from time to time.

Men were there, and they always pursued me, at least at first. They were easy, and I found them pleasant enough company. I never had a reason to question if I was anything other than straight. I know it's a spectrum, but I never had reason to doubt where I fell on it. Until I met you."

Cosima's heart flipped in her chest. She had the almost overwhelming urge to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "That sounds oddly encouraging," Cosima said, with a small smile.

Delphine looked at her intently. "I just don't know what to think. I've spent my whole life thinking one thing, and now..."

Cosima walked towards Delphine and slowly reached for her hand. Wanting to give her ample time to back away if she wasn't comfortable with the contact. Delphine didn't back away, allowing Cosima to capture her hand.

"Don't overthink it," Cosima urged. "You don't have to figure everything out right now. Or ever. Maybe you're bi. Or maybe you're just really lonely, and reaching out to the only other person available. Or, and this is my personal favorite theory," Cosima said with a grin, "Maybe, I'm just _that_ irresistible."

She was making a joke of it, but she knew how unsettling it could be, to question your sexuality for the first time. She had been much younger than Delphine, but she well remembered the tumult of emotions. It could be terrifying, and she just wanted to assure Delphine that she didn't have to have all the answers right now.

Delphine tugged Cosima closer, and for a moment she thought Delphine was going to kiss her. Instead, she dipped her head, resting her forehead against Cosima's. "Yes, that must be it," Delphine said with a soft laugh.

"I mean, if you have a better theory…" Cosima teased, letting the sentence trail off.

Delphine drew in a deep breath, looking deeply into Cosima's eyes, all traces of amusement gone. Reaching up, Delphine dragged her fingertips lightly along Cosima's jaw. "Can I kiss you?"

Cosima licked her lips, and nodded. Delphine brought her other hand up, cupping Cosima's face in both hands. Bending down, she drew Cosima's face up to her, finally joining their lips.

Right from the start, this kiss was night and day from their previous one. Whereas before Delphine had held herself rigid, now she was an active participant in the kiss. Her lips moving softly against Cosima's, and her hands roaming restlessly across her back, leaving a fleeting touch, before moving away again, as though unsure where to put them.

Cosima started to pull back, wanting to tell Delphine that it was okay to touch her. However, as Cosima leaned away, Delphine leaned in, chasing after her, unwilling to break the kiss. Cosima smiled against her mouth, and, instead of retreating, wrapped her arms around Delphine's neck, hoping that her actions would speak for themselves.

When Delphine took the hint, and wrapped her arms tightly around Cosima, one hand resting on her upper back, and the other gripping her hip, Cosima smiled. When Delphine parted her lips, and ran her tongue along Cosima's upper lip, she moaned. When Delphine's hand found its way under her shirt, blunt nails dragging across her lower back, Cosima finally broke the kiss and stepped back.

Delphine frowned, concern shining in her eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Cosima laughed, shaking her head, and leaning in to give Delphine a reassuring peck on the lips. "No. I just...Did you want to slow things down a bit? I know this is all new to you, I just don't want you to rush into anything and regret it later. We have all the time in the world."

It almost physically pained Cosima to make the offer, but she knew that her physical discomfort would be fleeting, while the potential fallout of a hastily made decision would be far more lasting. Cosima wanted Delphine to be absolutely sure.

When Delphine bit her lower lip, Cosima almost leaned in, forgetting why she had stopped kissing her in the first place. "Do you?"  
"It doesn't matter what I want. A week ago this wasn't even on your radar. I just don't want you rushing into anything."

Delphine smiled at her softly, cupping her jaw and stroking her thumb over her cheek. Cosima leaned unconsciously into the caress. "You're very sweet." Delphine placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Though, if I'm being completely honest, it was definitely on my radar."

"Yeah?" Cosima asked.

Delphine nodded. "I'm sorry I reacted so poorly when you kissed me. It was instinctive, and I was just-"

"Delphine, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for," Cosima interrupted her. "I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that before talking to you first. You had every right to react the way you did."

"I still regret that things have been so strained between us," Delphine said softly.

Cosima smiled gently. "Me too, but that's in the past." She tugged Delphine closer, placing a kiss on the underside of her jaw, right beside her ear. "The future is looking much brighter."

* * *

NASA was an amazing agency. A pioneer in space flight, and revolutionary in their vision of sending people into space. The only nation to send people to the moon, and later, to Mars. They had an obsessive attention to detail and tested things innumerable times before deploying them in the field.

As Cosima stood there, eyeing the small sleeping bunk reproachfully, she couldn't decide if it was an oversight, or deliberate, that they had made the bunks so infuriatingly cramped. Cosima wasn't a large individual, but she wasn't entirely sure how they were going to make this work.

However, with Delphine standing behind her, nibbling delicately at her ear, she wasn't going to let a little thing like lack of space get in her way. They had survived a Martian sandstorm, getting impaled by a rogue satellite dish, and had grown potatoes in their own fecal matter. They were both smart women. They would figure this out.

"What's the matter?" Delphine asked, her hot breath washing over Cosima's ear. Delphine had decided she did not want to take things slowly, and far be it from Cosima to argue.

"Nothing. Just...trying to figure out the logistics." Which, admittedly, may have been a bit easier if her brain wasn't 90% focused on what Delphine was doing with her mouth. However, she wasn't about to tell her to stop. She wasn't an idiot.

Cosima felt Delphine's lips curve into a smile against her ear. "I thought you had done this before. I was counting on you to show me what to do."

Cosima huffed. "I have." She grabbed one of Delphine's hands, which had dipped below the waistband of her sweatpants. Her ability to concentrate had its limits. "And something tells me you'll be a very quick learner." Delphine placed a kiss behind her ear. "What I was referring to, was that."

Cosima pointed at the bunk with an accusing finger. Delphine ceased her attentions for a moment to turn her head and look where Cosima was pointing. "The bed?"

"The very tiny, very cramped, bed," Cosima corrected. "There isn't exactly a whole lot of room to move around."

Delphine turned her head to look at Cosima, eyebrows slightly raised. "Do you require a lot of room?"

Cosima gave a small grin. "For some things it definitely helps." Cosima leaned in to steal a kiss. Pulling back, she spun around in Delphine's arms. She brushed Delphine's hair back, placing a kiss on her collarbone. "However, I think we're going to have to worry about that another time. I think for tonight, we can make this work."

Delphine dipped her head, kissing Cosima deeply. Cosima settled her hands on Delphine's hips, tugging her closer. Delphine nipped at Cosima's lower lip, tugging gently, and eliciting a groan from the brunette. Delphine pulled back slightly, bumping her nose lightly against Cosima's. "I like it when you make that sound."

Cosima laughed, the sound slightly strangled. "Well, if you keep that up, I can promise, you'll be hearing a lot more of it."

"I look forward to it," Delphine said, her gaze heavy.

Cosima dove back in, reclaiming Delphine's lips with a sense of purpose. When Delphine's hands slid under her shirt, and up her back, lifting the hem, Cosima broke away only long enough to strip the garment off over her head.

For a second, she worried that she was moving too fast, but when she looked back at the blonde she found her staring. At her breasts. Cosima bit her tongue, smiling at the intent look. "I was going to ask if you were okay with me taking my shirt off, but I think I have my answer."

Delphine's gaze flicked back up to Cosima's face. "I would hate to have to change my mind because you decided to be a brat."

Cosima shook her head. "That would be awful." She stepped closer, and Delphine's gaze once again slid downwards. Cosima reached up, wrapping her arms around Delphine's neck, kissing her again. Delphine closed her arms around her immediately, hands roaming over the expanse of Cosima's now bare back.

They remained this way for another few moments, exchanging kisses that were growing more heated with each passing second. Delphine, growing more confident and comfortable, slid one of her hands around to cup Cosima's breast.

Delphine broke away, looking down, and brushing her thumb over Cosima's pebble hard nipple. "You're so sexy."

Cosima smiled. "Yeah? I'm glad you think so." Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cosima had worried that the reason that Delphine was rushing this, was so that she didn't lose her nerve. However, she didn't think Delphine was faking her attraction.

Cosima brushed her hand tenderly through Delphine's hair, kissing her on the side of the neck. "Do you want to lie down?" The bunk may be cramped, but there was only so much they were going to be able to do standing up.

Delphine nodded. "I'd like that." Delphine went to sit down, but Cosima caught her hand, keeping her on her feet. Delphine looked at her in confusion.

Cosima raked her teeth over her lower lip. "It's going to be a whole lot easier if we lose the clothes first." Given the confined space of the bunk, stripping off clothes was going to be nearly impossible.

Delphine nodded her understanding. Before Cosima could offer to help, Delphine had stripped her shirt off over her head. It was Cosima's turn to stare. There was a lot to take in, but like a magnet, her attention was drawn to the now healed wound on Delphine's stomach.

Clasping her side lightly, Cosima brushed her thumb over the puckered skin. Bending down, she finally did what she had wanted to all those months ago, and placed a gentle kiss on the scar. Delphine cupped her hands around Cosima's face, drawing her upward for another kiss.

Cosima pressed closer, unable to suppress the shudder that ran through her when Delphine's nipples dragged across her chest. She was torn between the warring desires to take it slowly, and savor every second, or strip off the rest of their clothes and push Delphine back onto the bunk.

When Delphine's hand skimmed under her pants, blunt nails dragging across her skin, the decision was made. They had all the time in the world, but right now, the thing Cosima wanted most was to feel Delphine stretched out naked beneath her.

Breaking the kiss, and drawing in a deep breath, Cosima pulled away. Delphine protested with a grumble, trying to chase after Cosima's mouth. Cosima smiled, heartened by Delphine's response.

"Clothes," Cosima reminded her companion playfully. Delphine placed a quick kiss on her lips, before pulling away and nodding, her hands pushing her pants down her legs. Cosima followed the motion with her eyes, taking in the expanse of newly revealed skin. She had seen it before, when she helped Delphine shower, but this was totally different.

Then she had been doing her best not to look. Now. Now she couldn't tear her eyes away. She reached out, wanting to touch, but Delphine stepped back. It was Cosima's turn to look at the other woman in confusion.

Delphine pointed at her. "Clothes."

Cosima blinked. Right. Clothes. Impatiently, she pushed her pants down, and kicked out of them. She didn't spare any thought to trying to make the move seductive, she just wanted them gone. In the time it had taken Cosima to disrobe, Delphine had stripped back the covers and slid into her bunk.

Delphine held her hand out, beckoning Cosima to join her. She entwined her fingers with Delphine's, needing something to anchor her. Cosima slid her body carefully over the blonde's, sighing in contentment when they were finally pressed skin to skin. Cosima had missed this. The simple pleasure of skin on skin contact.

Settling her weight more fully onto Delphine, Cosima claimed her lips once again. It seemed like an eternity since they had last kissed. At least thirty seconds. An unacceptably long amount of time in Cosima's opinion.

Delphine seemed to share Cosima's opinion, her free hand cupping the back of Cosima's head and pulling her closer. Her tongue sliding insistently along Cosima's bottom lip. She had kissed more than her share of women over the years, and she was hard pressed to think of one that was a better kisser.

Delphine's hands roamed over Cosima's back, her nails scratching trails over the skin. Cosima was sure if she checked in the morning there would be marks. She wasn't complaining.

The confines of the bunk made it difficult to do what she wanted; spread Delphine out and explore every last inch of her until Cosima had every dip, crest, and beauty mark committed to memory. Instead, she had to content herself with pressing herself as closely to Delphine as she could. Even covering her from head to toe, it didn't feel like it was close enough.

Cosima tore her mouth away, earning a groan of disapproval from Delphine. Cosima ignored her. She may not be able to explore every inch, but she could at least explore a couple. Peppering a trail of kisses down her throat, Cosima scooted down slightly, stopping when her feet pressed up against the bottom of the bunk.

It wasn't a lot of room, but it was enough. Cosima teased the tight bud of Delphine's nipple with the tip of her tongue. Delphine exhaled harshly, her fingers digging into Cosima's back. Cosima didn't tease for long, her own impatience getting the better of her. She sucked gently, drawing the sensitive flesh into her mouth. Delphine sighed, her back arching off the bed.

Cosima could have happily spent hours here, alternating her attention between both breasts. Enjoying the way the smooth, soft skin glided across her tongue, but when Delphine started to shift against her restlessly, she knew it was time to move on. She wanted to move down, and settle herself between the blonde's legs, but the close quarters of the bunk would make that uncomfortable at best.

Instead, she moved up, which had its own advantages. Delphine's hands cupped her face, pulling her close, and devouring her mouth in a hungry kiss, her tongue plunging inside. Cosima groaned, slanting her mouth to deepen the contact. Yes, there were certainly advantages.

She settled herself back onto Delphine, her hips rocking in an unconscious rhythm. Delphine spread her legs, her hips arching up in counterpoint. Cosima knew the angles were all wrong. Their position serving to do little more than increase their frustration. No matter how long they stayed like this, rocking together, they would never find the friction they needed.

Cosima shifted to the side, sliding herself partly off of Delphine, to give herself a better angle. Delphine protested, gripping Cosima's hips tightly, and trying to hold her in place. Cosima placed a brief, reassuring kiss on her lips, her fingers stroking the side of neck softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, with a small smile. Delphine blinked slowly, her eyes hooded, before nodding. Cosima stroked her hand down the center of Delphine's chest, dipping her head to place a kiss over the blonde's heavy heartbeat.

Her fingers ghosted lightly over the sharply defined bumps of Delphine's rib, and down the muscles of her stomach. It had only been a few months, but already the lack of food was starting to take its toll. Cosima pushed the worry to the back of her mind. There would be time enough later to worry about calorie intake. For now, she just wanted to focus on the woman under her, and the soft sighs that issued forth when Cosima stroked her fingers over her in just the right way.

When her fingers finally slid into the wet heat between Delphine's legs, Cosima wasn't sure if the throaty moan was hers or Delphine's. As the blonde cupped her jaw, urging her face upwards, and kissed her deeply, she decided it didn't matter. She stroked her fingers up through the slick, coating the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Delphine arched her hips, silently directing Cosima's touch where she needed it most. Cosima gave the blonde what she was seeking, rubbing tight, firm circles on her clit. Delphine's breath was coming in harsh exhales and inhales through her nose. Cosima tried to free her mouth, to let the blonde take in a deep lung-full of air, but Delphine wouldn't allow it. The hand that Delphine had wrapped around the back of her neck tightened, fingernails digging into the skin.

Cosima didn't fight it.

Delphine tensed under her, all her muscles drawing tight, her breath leaving her in a sudden burst. Cosima slowed and gentled her touch, not wanting to tip over the thin line from pleasure to pain. She didn't know Delphine's body well enough. Yet.

Delphine relaxed, sinking bonelessly back onto the bed. The fingers that had moments before dug almost painfully into Cosima's shoulders now trailing lazy circles across Cosima's back. Cosima reluctantly withdrew her hand, resting it on the center of Delphine's chest. She could feel the blonde's heartbeat slowly return to normal under her fingertips.

Delphine brushed Cosima's hair back, craning her head to place a tender kiss at the base of Cosima's throat, her tongue swiping lazily through the moisture pooled there. Cosima shuddered, mindful of the uncomfortable throbbing between her own legs. Delphine may be drifting in a blissful afterglow, but Cosima was still painfully aware that it had been months since her last truly satisfying orgasm. The quick, almost utilitarian, orgasms she managed to sneak in during her showers hardly counted.

Cosima's eyes fluttered shut when Delphine started sucking lightly at the base of her throat. Delphine's fingers, which had been tracing up and down her spine, slid slower, her hand cupping Cosima's ass. She scratched her nails across Cosima's ass, causing her to buck her hips forward.

As worked up as she was, Cosima knew it wasn't going to take much. Delphine seemed to sense it as well. Releasing the skin of Cosima's neck with a wet pop she laid her head back on the pillow, looking up at Cosima intently, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"Tell me what you need," Delphine urged, looking unsure for the first time since she had told Cosima they needed to talk.

Cosima smiled down at her, brushing her hand through her hair. "Just you." Delphine looked at her with a look she couldn't quite decipher, before nodding almost imperceptibly.

"You have me," Delphine assured her, leaning up to kiss her again. Delphine wrapped her left hand around the back of her neck, pulling her down until Delphine's head was resting on the pillow.

Delphine ran her fingers teasingly up Cosima's rib cage, before turning her hand over and slipping it down her belly. Cosima, who was still pressed tightly against Delphine's side, raised herself up slightly to ease her passage.

When Delphine's fingers parted her, she broke their kiss, dropping her head onto the blonde's shoulder with a muffled groan. Her hips moved of their own accord, rocking against Delphine's hand. If she had had any patience, she would have waited for Delphine to make her next move, but her patience was gone.

She rolled her hips into Delphine's touch, her body driven on by instinct and a primal need. Cosima turned her face into Delphine's neck, breathing in the scent of the other woman greedily. Delphine stroked her fingers soothingly over the nape of her neck, murmuring a steady stream of French into Cosima's ear.

Cosima couldn't make out exactly what she was saying, but the words didn't matter. Their meaning was clear. Cosima quickend the rhythm of her hips, pushing more firmly against Delphine's dancing fingers.

Delphine kissed her neck softly, and with a shudder she released, breath leaving her in a jittery pant. She held herself still for a moment, letting the orgasm roll through her. Delphine pressed a kiss to her ear.

" _Tu es si belle_ ," Delphine breathed out quietly.

Cosima turned her head, depositing a lazy kiss to the side of Delphine's throat. It was equal parts affection and thanks. Cosima shifted her body to the side, not wanting to smother Delphine, but not yet ready to break the contact. Delphine scooted over as much as the small bed allowed giving Cosima just enough room to snuggle into her side.

Cosima glanced up, nudging the underside of Delpine's jaw lightly with her nose. "You doing okay?" Cosima asked softly. She captured Delphine's hand with hers, entwining their fingers.

Delphine tipped her head down until she was able to meet Cosima's gaze. "I'm doing wonderful," she said with a soft smile.

Cosima returned the smile with a nod. "Good. That's good." Cosima settled her head back against Delphine's shoulder, continuing to play idly with her fingers. "No regrets?" Cosima was pretty sure she knew the answer, but she wanted to be sure.

Delphine shook her head. " _Non_." Delphine paused for a moment before she spoke again. "Well...maybe one."

Cosima tensed slightly. "Yeah? What's that?" she asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"That we don't have any ice cream," Delphine replied, her voice brimming with suppressed laughter. "I could really go for some ice cream right now."

The tension drained out Cosima in a rush of relief. She poked Delphine in the side, careful to avoid the still tender scar. "And you call me a brat?" Cosima accused.

Delphine laughed, squirming away. "I'm sorry." To Cosima's ears, she didn't sound sorry at all, but she was too blissed out to argue about it. Cosima stopped her assault on Delphine's side, and draped her arm across her belly, drawing her close once again.

Delphine looped her arm around Cosima's back, pulling her in tight, and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. Cosima could feel the stress of the week catching up with her, and she was finding it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open.

" _Dors, ma chérie_ ," Delphine whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Cosima realized that to resist was futile, and a moment later, surrounded by Delphine's warmth and scent, she drifted off to sleep. Truly content for the first time in months.


	9. That's Your Plan? That's Not a Plan

**Chapter 9: That's Your Plan? Cosima, That's Not a Plan.**

Cosima woke up slowly, her body pressed into the wall of the bunk, and Delphine wrapped around her like a boa constrictor. She attempted to roll over, but that only caused Delphine to tightened her hold. While she would like to think it was because Delphine simply couldn't get enough of her, she suspected the true reason was a bit more pragmatic.

Cosima managed to crane her neck, and confirmed her suspicion; Delphine was about an inch from falling off the edge of the mattress. She was probably holding on more out of a sense of not wanting to be dumped onto the floor, than affection. If she ever made it back to Earth, she was going to have a word with NASA.

She tried to turn over again, eliciting an unhappy grumble from Delphine, who buried her face into the back of Cosima's neck. Typically, Cosima wouldn't be so eager to exit the bed, but her current position left a bit to be desired. She liked cuddling, but this was ridiculous.

"Delphine?" Cosima said, trying to keep her voice low so as not to startle, but still loud enough to rouse the blonde.

"Mmmm?" Delphine mumbled, sounding only fractionally alert.

"Normally I would be more than happy to lay here and cuddle, but it kinda feels like I'm being strangled," Cosima explained, trying to wriggle her shoulders to demonstrate.

Delphine raised her head from it's place on Cosima's neck. She took in their position, a small crease forming between her eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to smother you."

"You have my permission to smother me anytime you like." Cosima aimed a kiss toward Delphine's lips, but due to her position, it ended up somewhere around her chin instead. "However, I really have to pee, so if you could…"

Cosima wiggled her hips, causing Delphine to blush. "Oh, of course." Loosening her hold, Delphine slowly untangled their limbs and slid out of the bed. Cosima wasted no time in rolling out after her. Standing up she stretched her arms over her head to try to restore circulation to her limbs. Cosima closed her eyes and rotated her neck. Those NASA bunks really were not designed for two people.

"Hey, do you-" Opening her eyes, Cosima caught Delphine's gaze. Or tried to. Cosima bit her lip in amusement, seeing where the blonde's gaze was directed. She moved closer, slipping her arms around Delphine's neck, and placing a kiss on her upper chest.

"I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind getting breakfast started while I used the restroom, but I think I've changed my mind. How about we conserve some water and you join me in the shower?" Cosima slid her hands down to Delphine's ass, massaging the tight muscles as she bit gently down on her neck.

"We don't shower in the morning," Delphine protested absently, her breathing shallow.

"I thought maybe we could make an exception. You know, since we'll be conserving water and all." Cosima shifted her grip, swiping her fingers through the gathering wetness around Delphine's sex.

Her breath now coming in short pants, Delphine nodded. "Conserving water is important."

"I thought so," Cosima teased, before leaning up to claim Delphine's lips in their first kiss of the morning.

* * *

When they finally emerged from the bathroom 15 minutes later, Delphine concluded that no water had been saved, and that all showers were to be solo affairs in the future.

Cosima reluctantly agreed, though she deemed the waste of water totally worth it.

* * *

"What are we watching?" Cosima asked, settling back against Delphine's chest. Delphine had declared it was her turn to choose what they had watched. Cosima had been selecting their viewing materials, claiming that she was simply filling in Delphine's clearly lacking pop culture knowledge.

Delphine wrapped her arm loosely across Cosima's upper chest, and placed a brief kiss on the side of her head. "You'll see."

The small smile curving her lips was Cosima's first clue. The opening scene, showing a field of vibrant tulips, was her second. Her suspicions were confirmed when the title rolled across the screen.

Cosima turned slightly, trying to look Delphine in the eye. It was difficult from her position nestled between the blonde's legs. "Really, Delphine? The Botany of Desire? Something tells me this title is wildly misleading."

Delphine looked down at Cosima with a small smirk. "A deal's a deal," she replied smugly. "I've been letting you pick what we watch for ages. It's well past my turn."

"Yeah, but...a documentary about tulips?"

"It also features apples, potatoes and marijuana."

"It has pot in it?" Cosima asked, perking up slightly.

"That's what catches your attention?" Delphine asked with a laugh.

"Well, yeah. I mean…" Cosima shrugged. "I actually tried to smuggle a plant on board the Leda."

"You did not," Delphine said, looking at Cosima in disbelief.

"Yup. Well, not a plant, but a couple of seeds. I was hoping to sneak them into the greenhouse on the Leda. Unfortunately, they found them and confiscated them."

"You could have been thrown off the mission for that!" Delphine exclaimed.

Cosima tilted her head. "I suppose. But I didn't think they would scrub me at so late a stage. It would have delayed launch and cost them millions."

Delphine shook her head. "You're ridiculous." Delphine settled back against the pillows behind her back, applying slight pressure with her thighs and squeezing Cosima lightly. "Now stop talking and pay attention."

"Fine," Cosima grumbled good naturedly, shifting around until she found a comfortable spot. In truth, she didn't care what they watched. Just being able to lie here like this with Delphine was enough.

* * *

Cosima traced her fingers idly around Delphine's kneecap, trailing her fingers a short distance down her shin, and then back up, over her knee, and up her thigh. She repeated the motion a few times, her mind admittedly more on the warm skin under her fingertips, and the way Delphine's breath was growing more irregular, than on the screen in front of her.

When her fingers brushed the bottom edge of Delphine's sleep shorts, and hand clamped down on top of hers and halted her progress.

"Behave," Delphine scolded. "And pay attention."

"I was paying attention," Cosima replied, skirting the truth just a tad.

"What was he just talking about?" Delphine demanded, nodding toward the computer.

Cosima tried to replay the last few minutes of the film in her mind, but she was drawing a near blank. She was just about to give up when something tickled her memory. "Wait! Something about clones," she replied triumphantly.

Delphine narrowed her eyes, but let it pass. "Grafting actually. It's really quite fascinating. If left to their own natural process apples are extremely unpredictable. The child plants sometimes bearing little similarity to the parent plants that spawned them."

Cosima smiled, besotted by the other woman's excitement. She ran her fingers along the underside of Delphine's jaw, cupping her chin lightly in her hand. "You're cute."

Delphine blushed, and directed her gaze back toward the screen. "And you're just trying to distract me."

Cosima shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "Can you blame me? You're way more interesting than some boring old plants." She started to slide her hand up Delphine's thigh only to once again have her hand captured. Lacing their fingers together, Delphine rested it against Cosima's stomach.

Cosima sighed, resigned to her fate.

* * *

"Fifteen million dollars for a flower bulb!?" Cosima yelled at the screen.

Delphine laughed. "Yes. The _tulpenmanie_ , or Tulip Madness. It gripped the Dutch economy for five months, immense fortunes were made and lost before the bottom fell out of the market."

"I will never understand the rich," Cosima mused with a shake of her head. "It's like they're a different species sometimes. War and famine were gripping much of central Europe, and these assholes were spending thousands of times the average workers yearly salary on a flower," Cosima said in disgust. "Hundreds of years, and not much has changed."

Cosima felt Delphine tense beneath her, and she paused. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together. Delphine didn't talk a lot about her family, but what few things she had revealed, hinted at family money. How much, Cosima didn't know, but based on the currently rigid set of the blonde's body, she was willing to bet it was substantial.

"Hey, I didn't mean you," Cosima reassured her softly, pulling lightly on the hem of Delphine's shirt to get her attention.

"Why do you think my family has money?" Delphine deflected.

Cosima raised her eyebrows. "Don't they?"

"We're comfortable," Delphine admitted reluctantly.

Cosima snorted. "That's what rich people always say." Cosima watched Delphine's expression start to close, and she brought their still joined hands to her mouth, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. "You know I didn't mean anything by that right? I have a bad habit of sometimes speaking without thinking."

Delphine shrugged. "It's not like you're wrong."

"I find that hard to believe," Cosima countered. "You chose to pursue a career in science, against your families wishes, and now you are more than roughing it to stay alive. You haven't complained about it once. You're hardly part of the idle rich."

Cosima turned her head to look up at Delphine. "I'm willing to bet you give a sizeable portion of that fortune to charity each year too, don't you?" When the barest hint of a smile played around the corners of Delphine's mouth, Cosima knew she was on the right track. "C'mon, admit it. What? Do you give millions to save baby bunnies in Peru or something?"

Delphine laughed, shaking her head. "No." A beat of silence. "I fund a scholarship program for underprivileged girls to pursue education, especially in the science fields."

Cosima smiled with affection. "Of course you do." Unable to resist, she placed a tender kiss to the underside of her jaw.

* * *

By the time they reached the section on the potato, Cosima was actually paying attention.

"Who knew the humble potato was so important to so many cultures?" Cosima wondered out loud.

"Most historians and botanists," Delphine quipped.

"Hey, cut me some slack. I spent most of my formative years buried in circuit boards and code."

"And see what you missed," Delphine teased.

Sitting up abruptly, Cosima flipped over, hovering over Delphine on hands and knees. "Good thing you're here with me now. I can make up for lost time."

* * *

If, a few weeks ago, you had told Cosima she would kick Delphine Cormier out of her bed, she would have asked what drugs you were on, and possibly if she could have some. However, after a week of almost no sleep, she was about to do just that.

It wasn't that Delphine was insatiable, though, Cosima certainly had no complaints in that department. It was that the NASA bunks were just not conducive to sleep when there was more than one person occupying them. Between working all day to get the rover modified so it could handle longer distances, regular sex with Delphine, and almost no quality sleep, she was exhausted.

Something had to give, and it wasn't going to be the sex or the rover conversion.

Delphine slid her hand out from between Cosima's legs, and trailed her fingers up over her stomach. She had been right, Delphine was a very fast learner once she put her mind to something. Cosima felt her place a kiss on her shoulder, and slide closer, silently urging Cosima to roll onto her side. Not tonight. Cosima stayed stubbornly on her back.

She reached up, dragging her fingers lightly along the underside of Delphine's jaw. "So, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I really need you to sleep in your own bunk tonight."

A look of confusion, followed closely by hurt, flashed across Delphine's face. She drew back, already putting distance between their still flushed bodies. Cosima dropped her hand, wrapping it around Delphine's upper arm before she could flee.

"Hey, it's not that I don't want to sleep with you. I totally do. Obvs. It's just that I'm not getting any. Sleep. These bunks were just not designed to fit two people comfortably." Cosima loosened her grip and stroked her fingers over Delphine's arm, satisfied that she wasn't going to leave angry.

Delphine frowned, really more of a pout if Cosima was being honest. "I'm going to miss sleeping with you."

Unable to resist, Cosima leaned up and kissed Delphine, before flopping bonelessly back against the mattress. "I know, me too. It doesn't have to be all the time," Cosima hastened to add. "I just need a few nights of real, uninterrupted sleep."

Delphine sighed, still looking less than pleased, but nodded. "I'm sorry. You should have said something sooner."

Cosima smiled. "Trust me, it hasn't been a hardship. Besides, I'm usually all about the cuddling."

Even though she had asked her to leave, Cosima still felt a sense of loss when the blonde actually did. Pulling the covers up to her chin she couldn't help but think the once too small bed now seemed too roomy.

* * *

Progress on rover one was coming along even better than Cosima had anticipated, and she knew she was going to have to talk with Delphine about her full plan soon. While she had initially thrown herself into the project as a means of avoiding Delphine, it was still critical to their long term survival.

Doubling the battery capacity, and converting it to take a direct solar charge were only part of the solution. An important part, to be sure, but it wouldn't be enough to get them even out of their own backyard.

The problem, was heat.

Once the sun went down, not running the heaters wasn't an option. Unfortunately, while critical to life, the heaters also put a massive drain on the battery. To run the heaters through the night, would take almost half of their battery capacity. The reduced travel distance, coupled with the extended charge time, would make a trip of any significant distance almost impossible. And, if she miscalculated the power needed, it could prove fatal.

Cosima had an idea, but she knew Delphine wasn't going to like it.

* * *

"Have you lost your mind?" Delphine asked, arms crossed over her chest. She was taking it about as well as Cosima had anticipated. Which was to say...not very well at all.

"No." Cosima paused, considering. "Well, maybe, but I don't know if we really have much of a choice."

"It will just take us a little bit longer to get there," Delphine protested. "We can't dig up the RTG. It's completely insane."

"Delphine, I've done the math. If we don't figure out a different way to heat the rover, it would take over 200 days, best case, to make that trip. There is no way we can carry enough supplies with us to keep us going that long. We'd never make it." Cosima grinned. "We said we wanted to do some crazy science right? What's crazier than this?"

Cosima had realized that the potential solution to their heating problem had been under their noses all along. Almost literally. After landing, one of the first things they had done was secure the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or RTG. The RTG was the powerhouse of the landing craft, but, if ruptured, would prove deadly for anyone within a few miles.

NASA regulations were to drive a fair distance from camp, bury it, mark the spot, and then forget about it. Which was all very good advice, but Cosima was desperate, and the decaying plutonium produced a good deal of heat. Heat that wouldn't cost her any additional energy to harvest.

The only downside, and it was a big one, was that if she ruptured the outer casing, she was in for a long, painful death via radiation poisoning. A pretty big downside to be sure, but it was either take the risk, or slowly starve to death. It really wasn't much of a choice.

"This isn't crazy science, Cosima. It's suicide."

"Only if I screw up the extraction." Which, Cosima acknowledged, was quite possible. She was trying to stay positive about the whole thing though, because she didn't see any other viable alternatives. Even if it was wildly ill advised, they needed to dig up the RTG.

"Why the sudden rush?" Delphine demanded. It was a good question. One which brought her to the second part of her plan. She was pretty sure Delphine was going to like this part even less.

"We need try to establish communications with NASA. I would feel much better about going all that way if we knew for certain someone was going to be waiting for us when we get there."

"It's an unnecessary risk," Delphine insisted, still not looking convinced.

Cosima shook her head. "It's not. Look, we're basing all of our planning on staying alive for the next 2 years and connecting with the next Leda mission. What if they don't send it? What if they still think we're dead?

"I don't know how it is in France, but in the U.S. most politicians are spineless weasels without an ounce of conviction. If the public backlash was bad enough after the perceived failure of Leda III, they may delay, or even cancel. It's all PR spin with these guys."

"What does your trying to re-establish communications with NASA have to do with your digging up the RTG? I thought you said the com dish was beyond repair." The blonde's growing frustration was easy to hear. Cosima realized she was going to have to get to the crux of it.

"It is," Cosima confirmed. "But I'm hoping with a little luck I can find Pathfinder."

"Pathfinder!?" Delphine looked at Cosima incredulously. "That has to be over….forty- years-old."

"Forty-six actually."

"Even if you manage to find it, which, frankly, is far from certain, what do you hope to accomplish? It must be little more than a pile of scrap metal by this point."

Cosima shook her head. "Mars is cold, and, more importantly, dry. Plus, if she happened to get buried in sand, she should be remarkably well preserved."

"Even so, what do you hope to accomplish with it? That technology is outdated and isn't compatible with modern communications equipment."

"It's not," Cosima admitted. "However, if we're lucky, someone at NASA is paying attention, and once they see where I'm headed, they'll be able to figure out how to tune into our frequency."

"You just said you wanted to establish communication because they might think we're dead. Which is it?" Delphine shook her head, agitated. "You're contradicting yourself. This all seems unnecessary."

Cosima reached out hesitantly, not sure if Delphine would welcome her touch in her current mood. Resting her hand on Delphine's forearm, she saw the blonde's jaw muscles clench a few times, but she didn't pull away.

"Is digging up the RTG a risk? Yes. Is going to try to find Pathfinder a risk? Yes. But they aren't unnecessary. I'm just playing the odds, and trying to give us the best chance of survival.

"I don't know how up you are on NASA history, but if the crew of Apollo 13 hadn't been in communication with NASA engineers, they would have all died. I know it's a risk, but I think it's one we have to take.

"The hab was never meant for long term survival, and if any core system fails, we're dead. If we have to try to patch it in the field, our odds of survival go up exponentially if we are able to brainstorm with some of the best engineering minds on Earth."

Cosima entwined her fingers with Delphine's, tugging the blonde towards her. Delphine allowed herself to be pulled, wrapping her free arm around Cosima's back with a sigh.

"The heating problem is a deal breaker. Sooner or later, the RTG is going to need to be dug up. While going after Pathfinder isn't strictly necessary, I think establishing communications with NASA greatly improves our chances.

"Plus, it may be easy to overlook small changes around camp, but they will be hard pressed to miss a rover suddenly taking a hundreds kilometers long journey."

Delphine nodded. "You're right. I still don't like it, but you're right. We can't just sit here and hope that everything turns out the way we want to." Delphine tightened her hold on Cosima, placing a kiss on her forehead. "When do we leave?"

Now, for the third part of her plan. This part, she was positive Delphine really, _really_ , wasn't going to like.

"I think it would be better if I go alone." Cosima didn't elaborate, figuring it wouldn't take long for Delphine to voice her opinion of the plan. She was not disappointed.

"Absolutely not." Delphine dropped her arms from around Cosima and stepped back.

"Delphine, I just thi-"

"No, Cosima. This isn't up for a discussion. It's too dangerous."

Cosima reached out for Delphine's hands, but this time the blonde shook her off, taking another step back, and putting her out of reach.

"Look, I know that-"

"There is nothing that you can say that is going to convince me that this is anything other than complete folly," Delphine insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you insist on pursuing this ridiculous idea, I'm going with you."

Cosima sighed. She had anticipated Delphine objecting, but she hadn't expected this level of intransigence. "Delphine, if you would," Delphine opened her mouth to argue but Cosima held up her hands, "just let me finish. Please."

Delphine's eyes flashed with annoyance, her nostrils flaring slightly when she clenched her jaw. Despite the seriousness of the discussion, Cosima couldn't help but notice how hot Delphine looked when she was pissed off. She was only human after all.

Delphine gave a sharp nod, indicating that Cosima should continue. "I know it's dangerous, which is exactly why I think only one of us should go. If something goes wrong, at least this way one of us still has a chance."

Before Delphine could protest, Cosima continued. "Plus, if everything goes well, and I make it back in one piece, we are going to need food to have any chance. As the potatoes mature, they're requiring more and more water. How many times did you have to refill the hydrazine last week? Twice?

"Best case this trip takes me two weeks round trip. As crazy as you think me using the RTG as a heating source is, it pales in comparison to leaving hydrogen burning unattended. Someone needs to stay behind and make sure we still have a crop to harvest." What Cosima left unsaid, was that if everything didn't go well, then Delphine would be able to survive twice as long on the food available.

Cosima felt she had made a compelling argument, but Delphine looked unswayed. "The potatoes will be fine," Delphine countered. "We can give them a heavy soak before we leave. They'll be fine. Plants are resilient."

"Delphine, it doesn't-"

"This isn't open for debate. If you go, I go. Together, Cosima."

Cosima frowned, looking at Delphine in annoyance. They had reached an impasse and Cosima didn't know how to change Delphine's mind. Cosima rubbed her forehead. She had always known the blonde was stubborn, but before now, they had avoided any major disagreements. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to change her mind.

"We don't have to decide anything right now. We're probably still another few days away on the solar panel conversion, and we'll need to do a few proof of concept tests on the RTG once we dig it out of the ground. We can talk more about it later."

Delphine shrugged. "Talk if you must, but I'm not going to change my mind."

* * *

Cosima examined the power gauge on the dash, pleased with the progress. The installation of the solar panels was complete, and she was now testing to see how long it would take the rover to reach a full charge. Based on the current rate, the rover should be able to charge from around 25% (the lowest she felt comfortable running the battery down to) to a full charge in just over six hours. Not great, but it was better than nothing.

She had been hoping Delphine would join her for the test run, but she had insisted that she had things she wanted to get done around the hab. What, Cosima had no idea, but she had decided to give Delphine the space and alone time she seemed to be asking for.

Things had been a little tense between the two in the days since Cosima had revealed her plan. Cosima hadn't brought the impending trip up again, but she knew that time was running out. With the solar charging system installed and working, the next step would be to retrieve the RTG and see if Cosima's plan had any merit, or if it was as insane as Delphine seemed to think it was. Assuming of course, that she didn't kill herself in the process. Which, Cosima supposed, would prove Delphine's point.

Making her way back to the hab, Cosima resolved that she would worry about all that tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted was to go inside and see if she could convince Delphine to abandon whatever tasks had captured her attention.

As much as she knew it needed to be done, Cosima was not looking forward to their pending separation. And there would be a separation. No matter what Delphine thought, there was no way that she was going along. Cosima had tried to downplay the risks, but she was well aware of how dangerous the trip truly was. If anything went wrong, it would mean almost certain death.

Stripping off her environmental suit with a relieved sigh, Cosima went in search of Delphine. Entering the living quarters she stopped just over the threshold. Delphine was curled up on her side, dozing. Which wasn't what had caused her to halt in surprise. Instead of sleeping in one of the available bunks, Delphine was lying on the floor on what appeared to be a pair of mattresses pushed together.

Maybe Delphine didn't want space after all.

Walking over the makeshift mattress, Cosima dropped onto her knees, crawling across the surface until she was able to fit herself against Delphine's back. Draping her arm over Delphine's hip, Cosima kissed her lightly on the exposed side of her neck.

Delphine leaned her body back into Cosima, reaching up to wrap her hand around the nape of Cosima's neck, and pulling until Cosima was laying almost on top of her.

Cosima placed a lingering kiss on Delphine's lips, earning a contented hum. "So this was the important project?" Delphine rolled until she was laying on her back, wrapping her arms tightly around Cosima. Cosima settled against her chest, reaching up to brush Delphine's hair back.

"Do you like it?" Delphine asked, eyes finally fluttering open.

"Are you kidding? It's great." Cosima wiggled her lower body, frowning lightly. "I don't feel the crack between the mattresses."

Delphine leaned up, placing a kiss on the creases that had formed between Cosima's brows. "That's because there isn't one."

"And how'd you manage that?"

"You know the epoxy intended to repair the hab's exterior panels in case they come loose in a sandstorm? Turns out, it also works wonders on high density foam."

Cosima dipped her head, sucking and nibbling along Delphine's neck. "That was really smart thinking." Delphine's fingers twirled idly in the hair at Cosima's nape. Cosima didn't regret her dreads, but sometimes she wished she knew what it would have felt like to have Delphine's fingers running through her hair.

"I'm glad you approve."

"Oh, I more than approve. It hasn't been nearly as much fun sleeping alone." Cosima slid one hand under the waistband of Delphine's sweats, cupping her hand over the heat radiating from between her legs.

Delphine's nails dug in, and she arched her hips into the touch. "I agree. Which is why I decided to do something about it." Hearing the slight rebuke, even if jokingly, Cosima raised her head to look down at Delphine.

"Hey, I've been busy working on the rover."

This time, it was Delphine's turn to run her hand under the waistband of Cosima's pants. Dragging her fingers over Cosima's ass, she dug her nails in, earning a sharply indrawn breath. "I see where your priorities lie." Delphine did her best to look offended, but the way her hand was now stroking Cosima's skin betrayed her.

"Whatevs," Cosima sniffed dismissively. "Now that you've gotten a sample, you've just become hopelessly addicted."

Delphine gave an inelegant snort, and pinched Cosima on the ass, earning a yelp. "Such humility."

"But am I wrong?"

Before she knew what was happening, Cosima found herself on her back, looking up at Delphine. "You're not wrong."

When Delphine leaned down to claim Cosima's lips, she let her eyes flutter shut. Cosima had never loved being right more.


	10. Honey, I'm Home

**Chapter 10: Honey, I'm Home**

When Cosima rolled out of camp, the sun hadn't yet brightened the pre-dawn sky. She had tried to sway Delphine to her point of view, but she had finally concluded that further conversation was pointless. Delphine was just as set on accompanying her, as Cosima was in going alone.

So, Cosima had devised a new plan.

She had no illusions. Delphine was going to be pissed. Maybe even mad enough to end whatever was happening between them. They hadn't called it a relationship. They hadn't called it anything at all. Probably because they hadn't really talked about it.

Even knowing the potential consequences, Cosima couldn't justify the risk of letting Delphine join her. It was reckless, and stupid, to put them both in danger. At least this way, if something went wrong, one of them still had a chance of surviving. It was the only way. She just hoped that with a little time, Delphine would be able to see that.

For the few first kilometers, while she was still in communication range of the hab, Cosima held her breath. If Delphine woke up and discovered her gone, Cosima wasn't sure her resolve would hold if the blonde got on the radio and demanded that she return. However, a few kilometers, slowly turned into 10, and Cosima knew she was well out of the danger zone. She didn't feel the sense of relief she was expecting.

Settling into her seat, Cosima turned her attention to the journey ahead. She had made her decision and set her course. There was no going back now, and she would have to live with whatever happened next.

* * *

In the end, the journey was surprisingly smooth. The first few days Cosima had checked the RTG after every bump and jostle, afraid the casing would breach, but the device just bobbed in the suspension harness she had rigged, looking none the worse. Slowly, Cosima let herself relax.

If anything, the biggest obstacle to overcome was the boredom. The landscape, for all it's beauty, was remarkably uniform. Living on Earth, she had taken the changing colors and textures of the landscape for granted. While Mars had canyons and outcroppings, it was all the same, flat, rusty shade or red. The uniform palette broken only occasionally by the slightly darker or lighter rock.

She missed Delphine. Missed how she would burrow her face into Cosima's neck, wanting to delay starting the day for just another few minutes. It had surprised her; if you had asked her before they had gotten involved, she would have been sure that Delphine would be up at the crack of dawn, bright eyed and ready to start the day.

She missed how Delphine would play with the ends of her still forming dreads. Inspecting them to check their progress, and chiding Cosima when she let the wrappings get too tattered.

Mostly, she just missed talking to her. Even after all these weeks, they still found new things to talk about. Only a few topics were seemingly off limits. They never talked about the future. About returning to Earth. They were both working tirelessly toward that end, but to talk about it would make it seem an almost insurmountable problem to solve.

So she missed Delphine, she refused to call it pining, and she worried.

She worried about how Delphine would react when she finally returned. She knew if their situations were reversed, and Delphine had slipped away in the middle of the night, she would find it hard to forgive. Cosima didn't like to think about what she had done as a lie, but in the end, she knew that's exactly what it was. She had led Delphine to believe that she was on board with them both going together, and then she had snuck out without telling her. It wasn't Cosima's proudest moment, but at the same time she didn't regret her decision.

In her lighter moments, she imagined returning to the hab to find her belongings scattered over the Martian landscape. Delphine strewing them about like a scorned lover. It didn't surface often, but Cosima knew there was a temper simmering under the blonde's normally calm facade.

She just hoped that Delphine would let her back in the hab.

* * *

Getting there, it turned out, was the easy part.

Stepping out of the rover, Cosima once again checked her coordinates. According to her readings, she was right where she was supposed to be, but so far it had been two days of fruitless searching. She was starting to give up hope of actually finding Pathfinder.

It was a bitter realization that all of this may have been for nothing.

She could spare another day, maybe two, but after that, she was going to have to turn around. Pathfinder or no Pathfinder. She had only taken the barest of supplies, not wanting to deplete their already low reserves anymore than she had to.

It was around noon the next day, when a fleeting glint in the distance caught her attention. Cosima didn't want to get her hopes up, but she picked up her pace nevertheless. Scanning the ground, she saw it, a faint sliver of shiny metallic material barely peeking through the the layer of sand coating it.

Dropping to her knees, she pawed at the sand, clearing more of the soil away. It was loosely packed, so it took less than a minute before she had uncovered the camera housing. NASA's distinctive logo, unchanged even after all this time, stared back at her.

She sat back on her heels, taking a moment to enjoy the discovery. She was the first person to set eyes on the small robot since it had left Earth over a half century ago. After a few seconds, she pushed herself to her feet. While it was a historic moment, she didn't really have the time to dwell on it.

* * *

After nearly three weeks away, when the hab finally came to view on the horizon, Cosima let out a sigh of relief. It was good to be home. Mixed with her relief in almost equal measure, was a stomach twisting anxiety. As good as it felt to finally be back she was far from sure of her reception.

She had thought about raising Delphine on the radio when she came into range, but her cowardice had won out.

What if Delphine wanted nothing to do with her? The hab wasn't that large. They had managed to live peacefully together thus far, but if things became strained between them, it would be almost suffocating. The week after their first kiss had been hard enough, she didn't even want to think about how awkward it would be now. And, like before, she had no one to blame but herself.

Rolling to a stop, Cosima powered the rover off. The RTG had done its job, and the energy savings had been critical. Even if Pathfinder turned out to be a dead end, the trip had assuaged her concerns about the future trip to the Leda IV landing site. With a little more work, she was confident they would be able to make that longer journey.

Assuming Delphine didn't kill her first.

It wasn't much past midday, so Cosima briefly considered staying outside to unload Pathfinder from the utility trailer, if only to delay the inevitable confrontation a little while longer. However, odds were good that may only serve to piss Delphine off more than she likely already was.

 _Stop being a baby, Niehaus._ _You created this situation, now you have to deal with it.  
_  
Stepping out of the airlock cautiously, Cosima was both relieved, and if she was being honest, a bit disappointed to find the equipment room empty. She knew Delphine wasn't going to be welcoming her back with open arms, but some small part of her had expected to find Delphine waiting for her. She would almost certainly know by now that Cosima was back.

Equipment stowed, Cosima cautiously ventured deeper into the hab. The living quarters showed no sign of Delphine, but Cosima was heartened to see that the double mattress was still on the floor in front of the bunks. It was possible that Delphine just liked the extra sleeping space, but Cosima chose to take it as a sign that she hadn't totally written Cosima off. At least not yet.

Entering the converted science bay, Cosima finally found Delphine, standing stiffly and looking pointedly at the rows of lush, knee high, green plants. Cosima cleared her throat, alerting Delphine to her presence, though based on the way the other woman was holding herself, Cosima suspected she already knew.

When Delphine failed to acknowledge her arrival, Cosima knew she was going to have to be the one to break the silence. Walking closer, Cosima stopped beside Delphine, joining her in looking at the plants.

"They're looking good," Cosima said, waving her hand toward the crop. "How much longer before you think they're ready to harvest?" Cosima figured the plants, and their progress, would be a safe topic.

Delphine's shoulders tensed, and Cosima saw her jaw tighten. Finally, she turned her head, her eyes flinty. "That's what you want to say to me?" Delphine's voice was low, the anger simmering just under the surface.

Cosima sighed. Apparently not. She had known this confrontation was coming, of course, but part of her had still hoped they could just skip it, and put it behind them. It was done, and everything was fine. She had done what she needed to do. "Look, Delphine, I know that you're probably a little upset-"

"A little upset?" Delphine exclaimed incredulously. "You lied to me! Then you left in the middle of the night without a word. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I had no way of knowing if you were even alive."

"I'm sorry I worried you," Cosima said honestly.

"But not sorry that you did it," Delphine observed keenly. Cosima dropped her eyes. She didn't really know what she could say. If she had it to do all over again, she would do the same thing. While she was sorry that she had upset Delphine, she wasn't sorry that she had gone alone. She still felt it was the best choice. She wouldn't apologize for that.

"Look, I know I probably could have gone about it a different way," Delphine snorted, "but you weren't listening to reason. It didn't make any sense for the both of us to go. Besides," Cosima held her arms out to the sides, "everything turned out fine."

Delphine shook her head, throwing up her hands in agitation. " _T_ _u es incroyable,"_ Delphine bit out.

"Aren't you curious about how it went?" Cosima prodded, hoping to shift the subject off their disagreement. Neither one of them was going to change their mind, and Cosima didn't see the value in continuing to dwell on it.

Delphine narrowed her eyes, still looking angry. However, Delphine was still a scientist at heart, and the prospect of actually seeing Pathfinder would be tantalizing. "Did you find it?" Delphine finally asked, her curiosity trumping her ire.

Cosima grinned broadly. "I did. It took a bit longer than I thought it would, and I was getting ready to give up when I finally found her." Cosima shook her head. "She's gorgeous, Delphine. Considering she's been out here for almost fifty years, she's in remarkable shape."

"Do you think you can get it working?" Delphine questioned, interested despite her best efforts.

Cosima shrugged. "Time will tell, but I'm hopeful. All the components seem to be in great shape, and if we can power her on…"

"We can establish contact."

Cosima nodded. "E.T. phone home." A fleeting smile appeared on Delphine's lips. Cosima knew that everything was far from settled between them, but she took it as a good sign.

* * *

Cosima toweled dry, feeling better than she had in weeks. The only positive aspect of being unable to bathe for so long was that her dreads had fully locked, and she wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of replacing the floss bindings. She took her time gently squeezing the water out of her hair. She wasn't in any hurry to leave the bathroom.

While things had been mostly amicable following their reunion, Cosima still didn't know exactly where they stood. After her initial anger, Delphine had been polite, but quiet. Cosima didn't know if that was a good sign or not. Delphine also hadn't made any attempt to touch her, not even a hug, and Cosima didn't feel like it was something she should initiate, given the circumstances.

Though it was unconventional, her relationship, such as it was, with Delphine, was probably one of the best she had ever been in. She and Delphine just seemed to just...get each other. Without really having to work at it. Before their disagreement about retrieving Pathfinder, things had been remarkable easy between the two. To lose that now…

Nevertheless, Cosima vowed that she would follow Delphine's lead, take it at her pace, and accept whatever decision the blonde made about them. She had made her decision, and now she had to live with the fallout. Even if that meant losing Delphine. If nothing else, Cosima was hopeful they would at least remain friends. She tried to convince herself that that would be enough.

Her resolve was tested when she walked into the crew quarters and saw Delphine sitting at the table, head bowed as she scribbled on a piece of paper in front of her. The urge to walk up behind her, wrap her in a hug, and kiss the exposed nape was almost overwhelming. Cosima had missed her terribly while she had been gone, and being unable to touch her now was harder than she thought it would be.

"All done," Cosima said, squeezing her dreads dry with the towel slung over one shoulder. "Bathroom's all yours."

Delphine nodded, scratching a few more marks on the page before placing her pencil down and standing up. Her gaze raked over Cosima, but she couldn't decipher the expression in her eyes.

Delphine gestured toward her hair. "Your dreads are finished?"

Cosima lifted the end of one, examining it. "Yeah. You won't have to mess with wrapping them in dental floss anymore," Cosima said with a smile, even as she knew she would miss Delphine playing with her hair. "The one benefit of not being able to take a bath for over two weeks," she joked. "It does wonders for dread formation."

Delphine nodded, still looking a little uncertain. "Well, I guess I'll just…"

"Yeah, totally." Cosima stepped aside, clearing the way. "I made sure to leave you some hot water." Delphine gave her a small smile before edging past her, careful not to brush against her, and entering the small bathroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Cosima walked over to her bunk and sat down with a sigh. Things hadn't been this tentative between them since the first few weeks, and she knew she didn't have anyone to blame but herself.

She looked at the mattress on the floor, and considered getting in, but decided that may be pushing her luck. While Delphine had been cordial, and they had even started to joke around a little bit, she had given no indication that she would welcome Cosima back into her bed.

Deciding that it was better to be safe, than sorry, Cosima pulled back the covers of her own bunk, and crawled inside. After so many weeks of disuse, the sheets smelled stale and Cosima made a mental note to change them tomorrow. She rolled over onto her side, putting her back toward the room. She had just found a comfortable spot on her pillow when she heard the door to the bathroom door slide open.

She listened as Delphine walked across the room, still not saying anything. Cosima couldn't see it, but she swore she could feel Delphine standing beside her bed. She heard Delphine sigh quietly, and then walk the short distance to her own bed. The lights went dark, and she listened as Delphine slid under the covers of what had for a short time, been their bed.

Cosima bit down on her lip, fighting the urge to say something. To apologize again, even knowing it probably wouldn't do any good. Another sigh, louder this time, cut the silence.

"Is everything okay?" Cosima finally asked, unable to remain quiet any longer.

"Why are you over there?" Delphine asked, her question containing a faint thread of vulnerability.

Cosima rolled over, seeking out Delphine in the dim safety lighting. Delphine was curled up on her side on the mattress, knees tucked against her chest, and facing Cosima's bunk.

"Things still seem a little- I wasn't sure where we stood. I didn't want to assume-"

Delphine reached out, holding her hand towards Cosima. "Come here."

Cosima didn't waste any time throwing off her covers and scrambling out of bed. Delphine scooted back, making room for Cosima in the bed, and lifted the covers. Cosima slid under the blanket, immediately engulfed in Delphine's comforting warmth and scent.

Delphine wrapped her arms tightly around her back and Cosima rested her head against Delphine's chest.

"I missed this," Cosima confessed quietly, sliding one arm over Delphine's waist and pressing closer.

"I missed you," Delphine replied just as quietly. Cosima looked up, and her mouth was immediately claimed. Cosima sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. God, how she had missed this. Missed Delphine.

Cosima broke the kiss, breathing in short pants. Delphine grumbled her disapproval, trying to recapture her lips, but Cosima pulled back. Delphine's eyes opened, and she looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong."

Cosima smiled softly, trailing her fingers lightly along Delphine's jaw. "Nothing," she shook her head, "Not a single thing. I just...I'm sorry. For leaving the way I did. I know it was a shitty thing to do, but you weren't- I didn't see another way, but I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Delphine sighed, shifting away slightly. Cosima immediately wanted to close the gap, not wanting any space between them. "It was a terrible thing to wake up to discover," Delphine said, causing Cosima to wince guiltily. "Do you know how worried I was? If something had happened to you, we wouldn't have even had a chance to say goodbye."

Cosima dropped her chin, a new wave of regret washing over her. "I'm sorry. Truly. I promise I won't do anything like that again."

Delphine kissed her softly, wrapping her hand around the back of Cosima's neck. "You better not. Once, I can forgive. Twice…"

Cosima shook her head. "I promise."

Delphine brushed her hair back. "We're supposed to be a team. Even if we disagree, especially when we disagree, we need to find a way to work together."

Cosima sighed, nodding her head in acknowledgement. "I know. I just...I didn't see either of us changing our mind, and sometimes, when I get my mind set on something, I can get a little single minded in my focus."

Delphine laughed. "You?"

"Yeah, I know, hard to believe right?" Cosima dipped her head, and placed a kiss on Delphine's shoulder. "Thank you for not burning all my things in a pile in front of the hab."

"Don't be ridiculous," Delphine chided. "The Martian atmosphere would never support an open flame."


	11. ET Phone Home

**Chapter 11: E.T. Phone Home**

"What now?" Delphine asked, stepping back to examine their handiwork.

After enjoying a lazy morning in bed, they had unloaded Pathfinder from the rover, and set it up a short distance from the hab. To her relief, the unit had powered on after a few hours in the sun. Another win for NASA's obsessive over engineering.

"Now we wait," Cosima replied, walking over to loop her arm around Delphine's waist. They had set up a rudimentary question and answer set using three white boards, and a long pointer arm attached to the camera. Cosima had aligned the pointer with the central board, which bore the simple question "Are you receiving this?". The other two boards, one reading "Yes" and the other "No," were spaced out on either side.

Pathfinder's camera could spin a full 360 degrees, so if NASA was paying attention, and had figured out how to receive the message, the should be able to point at the correct answer. At least, that was the hope.

With the distance, it would take the radio signal approximately thirty-two minutes to travel round trip. Assuming that NASA had been watching, and had been able to figure out what Cosima was up to.

Thirty-five minutes later they had their answer.

* * *

Cosima soon discovered that re-establishing contact with NASA was both a curse and a blessing. Now that they had made contact, they didn't seem to be able to stop trying to tell her what to do.

After getting confirmation that NASA was receiving them, Cosima had quickly realized that they were going to need a better way to communicate. If NASA was only able to answer yes or no, the information sharing would be severely limited.

The answer, was hexadecimals. As a base 16 system, it would give the camera 22 degrees of arc to work with, instead of the impossible narrow 13 offered by the standard English alphabet. Luckily, Cosima never left home without her conversion table.

From there, after receiving a small string of code from NASA, it had been a surprisingly simple matter to hack the rover, and use Pathfinder as a radio dish. They were limited to text based communications, and still had to deal with the thirty-two minute delay, but it was light years ahead of where they had started.

Cosima had been relieved to learn that the rest of the Leda crew had been able to safely rendezvous with the ship without incident. She was less pleased to learn that while NASA had known about their survival for months, they hadn't told the rest of the team. They had deemed it "potentially detrimental and distracting to crew morale."

Cosima had told them they were a bunch of jackasses, and insisted that they be told immediately. NASA had reluctantly agreed.

Even though it was a blessing to be back in touch, their long term survival outlook was still deeply uncertain. While the potatoes continued to flourish, they may not be enough to keep them alive long enough for Leda IV to arrive. NASA was currently examining all options.

In the meantime, NASA was eager to learn as much about their time on Mars as possible. To say that they were impressed with what they had accomplished was an understatement. They were particularly interested in what Delphine had been able to accomplish with the potatoes. To grow food on Mars, with such scare resources, was a major feat.

Which brought Cosima to the curse. Leekie. The odious man seemed determined to micromanage every aspect of what Delphine was doing now that they had re-established contact. Cosima wanted to tell him to fuck off, that they had come this far without his help, but Delphine was determined to be diplomatic. Which meant she was spending hours cooped up in the rover typing back and forth with her obnoxious pen pal.

Cosima rapped her glove on the window of the rover. When Delphine looked up, Cosima pointed at her wrist, silently asking how much longer she'd be. Delphine held up her hand, flashing her fingers 3 times. Cosima sighed, and nodded her understanding.

Deciding it was pointless to wait outside, Cosima headed back into the hab. Today was a big day, and Cosima was admittedly impatient. Their potatoes were finally ready to harvest, and she was anxious to see the results. Of course, when Leekie had gotten wind of it, he had insisted on a debrief with Delphine first. For what, Cosima had no idea.

It wasn't like pulling plants out of the ground was rocket science.

Stripping off her gear, Cosima grabbed her laptop and settled in to wait. She spent a few minutes staring blankly at the screen before she set it aside, admitting defeat.

She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't stop thinking about Leekie. Or, more to the point, Delphine and Leekie. Ever since they had made contact, and Leekie had once again started monopolizing more and more of Delphine's time, Cosima couldn't help but wonder if there was maybe a shred of truth to the rumor Scott had told her about all those months ago.

She was still silently brooding a few minutes later when Delphine wrapped an arm around her upper chest and tilted her head up for a welcoming kiss. Though they had been near each other all day, they hadn't really spoken in hours. Cosima had been doing routine maintenance on the power systems, and checking the condition of rover one to make sure everything was in tip top shape.

" _Bonjour, ma cherie_ ," Delphine half mumbled against her lips. Delphine released her hold, and walked over to pour herself a glass of water. Breathing the dry, recycled air inside the suit and the rover always left you feeling dehydrated after a long day.

Cosima eyed her thoughtfully. "How was your chat with Leekie?" If Delphine heard the undercurrent of snark in Cosima's voice, she didn't give any indication of it.

"Good." Delphine smiled, taking a sip of her water. "He agrees that the potatoes are ready to harvest." Delphine's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Well, if _Leekie_ agrees, I guess we're good then." This time, Delphine didn't miss the sarcasm.

"Is something wrong?" Delphine asked with a frown, setting her glass on the counter.

"Nope. I'm great. I just thought we had already decided to harvest, so I'm a little bit confused why we needed the Leekie seal of approval."

"We don't," Delphine said slowly. "But he is the head of botany for this mission, and it stands to reason that he would be consulted." Delphine tilted her head to the side. "Something is bothering you."

Cosima crossed her arms over her chest. "I just don't understand why our every move now needs to be put under Leekie's microscope. We've been doing just fine without him."

"You were the one that pointed out that being in touch with NASA, and all of their experts, would only be to our benefit."

Cosima shrugged, in no mood to be reasonable. Jealousy was nibbling away at the back of her mind. She knew she was was being petty, and irrational, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "And what did his eminence have to say on the matter?"

"Just that we should proceed as planned. Culling the best largest potatoes as a start of a new batch. It's better to have a reliable source long term, just in case, than to eat them in the short term."

"Great," Cosima said shortly. "When do we get started?" Cosima stood up from the table, but before she could turn away, Delphine grabbed her hand, tugging her back around to face her.

"What's really bothering you?" Delphine asked softly. Cosima wanted to say nothing, but with Delphine looking at her with those big, imploring eyes, she found she couldn't lie.

"What's the deal with you and Leekie?" Cosima finally asked.

Delphine frowned, shaking her head. "I'm not sure I understand? He's my superior on this mission. I report to him."

"And is that all?" Cosima pressed.

The frown deepened. "What else would there be?"

Cosima fought the urge to fidget. She wanted to drop it, but now that she had started down this path, she knew she would need to see it to the end. It was like a boulder rolling downhill, it wouldn't stop until it reached it ran its course. She just wished it didn't make her feel like an immature adolescent questioning her girlfriend about the girl she had seen her talking to in the hallway between classes.

"Were you and Leekie ever...you know...together?"

Delphine's confusion lingered for a few more moments, but eventually, realization dawned, and she dropped Cosima's hand, stepping back. "You can't be serious." Delphine looked at her intently. "You are serious. Why would you even think that?"

Cosima shrugged. "It's a small ship. Word gets around."

Delphine muttered under her breath, Cosima couldn't make it out, but she was sure it was French, and profane. "With so much work to be done, you would think that people would have better things to do than gossip about the personal lives of their ship mates."

"So it's not true?" Cosima probed, well aware that Delphine hadn't actually answered the question.

Delphine looked at her, annoyed. "You aren't seriously asking me that are you?"

Cosima held up her hands. "Hey, no judgement. I just want to make sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes." Cosima knew she was being childish, but she couldn't seem to stop. The thought of Delphine and Leekie...She cursed Scott for ever putting this thought into her head in the first place.

Delphine crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "The only toes you should be concerned with, are mine," Delphine said flatly. "Just because I'm sleeping with someone, doesn't mean they get to claim ownership of me." Delphine's meaning was implicit. "I'm French, we enjoy lovers."

The barb hit it's mark. Cosima's eyebrows rose. "Wow. Okay. Forget I said anything. It's none of my business." Cosima turned away, stung, despite her best efforts not to be, by Delphine's response.

Delphine was right; she didn't owe Cosima an explanation. Her past was her business, and had nothing to do with Cosima. Even her present wasn't really her concern. They had never defined what this was between them, both content to let it be what it was and not worry about what it all meant. Cosima had promised Delphine that she wouldn't push from the beginning.

Shaking off her hurt, Cosima did her best to put a smile on her face, and turned back to face Delphine. "I'm sorry I was being a bitch. I think I'm just overtired, and cranky. What do you say we go reap what we sowed and have ourselves a potato feast?"

Delphine hesitated a moment, looking uncertain, before nodding her head. Reaching out, she grasped Cosima's hand. Cosima gave her a small smile, and entwined their fingers. What they had here, now, was all that mattered. The future was something that Cosima would worry about when it arrived. For now, she was going to enjoy the time they had left.

Whatever their relationship, Leekie was millions of kilometers away, and was of no immediate threat. She was the one that was currently with Delphine, and she needed to be content with that.

* * *

"Okay, I'll admit it, this isn't half bad." Cosima dipped another wedge of steamed potato into a puddle of ketchup.

Given what they had to work with, the yield had been impressive. They would still need to be vigilant about conserving and rationing their food, but the fact that they now had a supplemental, and renewable food source, allowed them both to breathe a little easier.

Whatever lingering tension that had still been between them after Cosima's ill advised comments about Leekie had all but evaporated by the time they pulled their last plant out of the ground. Cosima vowed she wasn't ever going to bring it up again, no matter how many hours Leekie kept Delphine cooped up in the rover sending messages back and forth.

Cosima had just grown used to having Delphine all to herself, that when their little Martian bubble had been popped, she had reacted poorly. Now that it was no longer just the two of them, the undefined nature of their relationship had started to weigh on Cosima's mind.

Delphine reached out and swiped her over Cosima's cheek, removing a glob of ketchup. Cosima smiled, and shrugged, unapologetic. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've had french fries, and well, this is the closest I'm likely to get for a while."

Cosima picked up another wedge of steamed potato, dunked it into the ketchup and crammed it into her mouth in one bite. It wasn't exactly a french fry, but after months of nothing but freeze dried food, it was damn close. A glob of ketchup fell and landed on her shirt.

Delphine shook her head. "Should I look around for something to make a bib for you?"

"Nah, I'm just excited to have something different to eat for a change. Give it a week and I'm sure I'll never want to see another potato again."

They ate in silence for a few moments before Delphine spoke. "For the first time, it feels like maybe we actually have a chance of making it."

Cosima stilled, flicking her eyes up to look at Delphine. It was a rare acknowledgement of their uncertain future. Her eyes were downcast, staring at her dinner tray pensively. Cosima placed her hand over Delphine's, squeezing it comfortingly. "First of all, I'm wounded you ever doubted our crazy plan. Just because 90% of it was down to random change, and death lurks at every turn, is no reason to have doubts." Cosima's words had the intended effect and a small smile graced Delphine's lips.

"Secondly, there is no way we are going down in history as the first women to die on Mars. I'm happy to make the history books, but not like that."

* * *

The plan, when NASA finally revealed it to them, was even crazier than Cosima had imagined.

One of the first things NASA had requested when they made contact was data. Endless amounts of data. How much food they had, how much hydrazine was left, how much each of them weighed. Had they been sick? How did they feel? What were their energy levels? On a given day, how much physical activity did they engage in? How were they holding up emotionally? Did they fight?

Cosima and Delphine had given them everything they requested. Filling them in on every aspect of their day to day existence in excruciating detail. The only thing they had left out was the nature of their personal relationship. Cosima didn't think that was any of their business, and Delphine had readily agreed. The last thing she wanted was NASA asking them how often they engaged in sexual intercourse. And knowing Dr. Hendrix, they totally would. The woman had no sense of personal boundaries.

Cosima had given them the data, even as she had bristled at the invasion of privacy, trusting that they had a reason. That reason was now coming clear. NASA had run the numbers, all the numbers, through various scenarios, and had finally come to one, inescapable conclusion.

No matter how much they conserved, and how many potatoes they grew, they couldn't survive until the Leda IV mission arrived. Even ignoring the fact that potatoes were void of a lot of essential nutrients, the calories just weren't there. They would slowly starve to death months before Leda IV would arrive.

Cosima wondered what the numbers would look like with only one person, but she knew better than to ask.

However, NASA wasn't writing them off as a lost cause. If they wanted to retrieve more than their corpses, they they had two options. Get them a supplemental shipment of supplies, or find a way to get them off Mars a hell of a lot sooner than planned.

Knowing NASA, Cosima figured they would go for the safer option, and try to get them a payload of food and other essential items. To her surprise, she was wrong. NASA had run the numbers, of course, and they deemed that scenario to have the lowest probability of mission success of the two options.

Even if they launched immediately, the distance between Mars and Earth, coupled with the speed of the rocket, meant that, best case, the food would arrive about a month too late. And that was assuming that everything went well, and landed where it was supposed to. Landing unmanned craft on Mars was still far from a sure thing. Faster rockets may help, but since supplies were typically shipped years before a mission, speed had never been a primary factor in their design.

The only thing capable of crossing that distance quickly enough to do any good, was the Leda. If, instead of slowing to a stop as they approached Earth as planned, they used the gravity of the Earth to slingshot around and head back toward Mars, they would be able to close the gap in 7 months.

While the Leda headed back toward Mars, Delphine and Cosima would get in rover one, and head to the Leda IV landing site. Once there, they would use the Leda IV MAV to launch, and rendezvous with the Leda.

Of course, nothing was ever that easy. The Leda would need to conserve as much fuel as possible, and wouldn't truly be able to enter Martian orbit. She would also be going fast, very fast. In order to try to match her speed, and break orbit, they were going to have to essentially strip the MAV down to the struts.

Even Cosima, lover of crazy science, thought it was insane. It was like trying to hit a bullseye on a speeding freight train as it barrelled past at full speed. Unfortunately, they didn't appear to have any other choice.


	12. One Day at a Time

**Chapter 12: One Day at a Time**

"I'm bored," Cosima complained. She was sprawled out on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling, head cradled in Delphine's lap.

While they had a plan, such as it was, they were still very much in a hurry up and wait situation. The rover still needed to be modified to make the long journey, but NASA was doing all the trial and testing on their end, so until they decided on just what modifications would be needed and the best way to accomplish them, there was very little for Cosima and Delphine to do. In fact, NASA had expressly forbidden it. They didn't want them expending any more energy than was absolutely necessary.

As relieved as Cosima had been to make contact, she would be lying if she wasn't bristling a bit at being under someone's direct command again. She had gotten used to it just being her and Delphine.

The first few months had been exciting, because they were still figuring things out, and working to solve problems. It had been them against Mars. But now, after months and months, everything had become routine. Check the solar grid, clear the air intakes, do periodic inspection of the hab and rover, refill the hydrazine, harvest and replant. Rinse and repeat. Cosima never thought she would live to see the day that she would find a day on Mars mundane, yet here she was.

Delphine ran her hand soothingly up and down her arm, her fingernails scratching lightly over the skin. "We could go check the solar panels," Delphine offered.

"We did that yesterday. It would be silly to do it again. Plus, NASA wants us to limit our extra-hab excursions." Cosima knew they had a point. Their mission was only supposed to last a few months, and while the suits were built to withstand the increased radiation in the Martian atmosphere, there was not telling what prolonged exposure would do. The hab offered far more protection.

Cosima understood their precautions, but she was growing restless. Cosima knew part of that restlessness was not knowing exactly where she stood with Delphine. Things had more or less returned to normal after Cosima's trip, but that didn't mean they were in any way clear.

As much as they talked about everything else, one thing they both avoided mentioning was their relationship. While it had been just the two of them, Cosima had managed to push the worry to the back of her mind, but now that they had once again made contact with humanity, she found it harder and harder to ignore.

Would their relationship extend beyond their stay on the red planet, or was it already ticking down to its inevitable end? Cosima didn't know. She knew all she had to was ask Delphine, but deep down, she feared she already knew the answer. She would rather try to enjoy their remaining months together, clinging to her denial, than to know for certain it was all doomed to end if they managed to get off Mars alive.

If they only had a little bit of time left, she didn't want to ruin it.

Delphine sighed, withdrawing her hand to run through her own hair. Cosima rolled on to her side, contrite. She grabbed Delphine's hand, playing idly with her fingers.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to whine." Delphine was in the same situation as she was, and she didn't deserve to have to deal with Cosima's bad mood.

"NASA should be in touch soon with the next step in converting the rover." They were currently waiting for NASA to figure out a way to provide them with enough air for the months long journey. The existing oxygen scrubbers would be saturated with two of them in the rover, and they didn't have room to take all the replacement filters they would need to make the weeks long trek.

"I know I should be more grateful for their expertise, but I can't help missing when it was just the two of us against Mars," Cosima admitted.

"It's still just the two of us against Mars," Delphine soothed. "NASA may be running scenarios, but they aren't here, and they can't help us if anything goes wrong. Let them do all the frustrating trial and error."

"Yeah," Cosima agreed with a nod. "I've clearly been thinking about this all wrong. It's basically a vacation."

Delphine looked at her skeptically. "If this is your idea of a vacation, remind me to politely decline if you ever ask me to accompany you on one." It wasn't much, but a part of Cosima still thrilled at hearing Delphine refer to a possible future for them.

"I'll have you know I'm great at planning vacations." Okay, that wasn't exactly true, since she didn't think taking off on a last minute road trip with Sarah before her freshman year of college counted as a vacation, but she knew if given the chance, she would be amazing at it. Especially if the person going on the trip with her was Delphine.

* * *

Cosima couldn't believe it had really come to this. Scott had tried to get her to play a few times, but video games were much more her speed. However, there was only so many hours of TV and movies they could watch.

Or sex they could have.

Eyeing the action squares critically, she held her player piece, unsure of the best spot to place it.

"Do we need to institute a time limit?" Delphine asked playfully.

"Give me a second!" Cosima protested. "This is an important decision."

Delphine propped her chin in her hand and gave Cosima a fond smile. "It's just a game. You do realize that we have been doing the real life equivalent of this for months?"

"Hmmm, good point." Cosima placed her player piece on the 'Wish for Children' card. She had never particularly wished for children, but her farm needed more laborers, so practicality won out in the end.

Delphine eyed her move thoughtfully, a tiny twitch of her lips, followed by a pleased expression, tipping Cosima off to the fact that she may have just made the wrong move.

"Maybe we can develop our own version of the game. Who wouldn't rather play as pioneering Martian settlers, forced to use their own waste to grow food. We'll make a fortune!"

Delphine laughed, placing her own player piece on the board and collecting a small flock of sheep. "Well, we'll certainly have time to perfect all the rules."

"Anything has to be more interesting than this," Cosima complained. "Maybe we can have a rogue sandstorm card that wipes out a portion of our resources." Maybe it was the boredom talking, but Cosima found herself really warming up to the idea.

"Why stop there? We can also have a hydrogen explosion that destroys part of the settlement."

"I like the way you think," Cosima complimented. "Scotty will love it." Cosima felt a pang at the mention of her friend. She did her best not to dwell on it, but she missed her friend. And her family.

Not for the first time, Cosima found herself immensely grateful that she got stranded here with Delphine. She wasn't sure how she would have coped if she had been trapped here all alone.

By the end of the next round, the cause for Delphine's small smile became clear. Cosima had grown her farm too fast, and as a result, was unable to feed her workers. The point penalty was going to make it almost impossible to win the game.

She looked at Delphine, who looked smug and happy, with a playful scowl. "I guess it's just as well you're the one in charge of our food. Because if this," Coisma waved her hand over the game board, "is anything to go by, we'd both be doomed."

* * *

Stepping out of the shower, Cosima wiped the steam off the mirror, and examined herself critically. Her stomach had gone from flat, to concave, to positively sunken. Her ribs stood out in stark relief. Her once athletic frame was now gaunt, her muscles well on their way to devouring themselves just to keep her body going.

Her body mass wasn't the only thing showing the effects. The lack of balanced nutrition was taking its toll in other ways as well. Her hair was dull, and brittle, and her skin sallow, and patchy.

Delphine wasn't fairing much better. The blonde's already slender frame was worryingly thin. She never complained, but Cosima knew that Delphine had to be feeling the same constant, gnawing hunger and sense of exhaustion.

Feeling an itching starting to build in her lungs, Cosima buried her face in the crook of her arm, trying her best to stifle the cough. It didn't work, and after a solid 15 seconds of coughing, she was left feeling shaky. Gripping the edge of the sink to steady herself.

"Are you okay?" Delphine asked, her expression etched with concern. Cosima hadn't noticed her entering the room.

Straightening up, she wrapped a towel tightly around herself, and nodded, mustering up what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Never better. Just had a tickle in the back of my throat."

Delphine stared at her thoughtfully, her expression still worried. "You'll tell me if you start to feel worse?"

"Yeah, of course, but really, it's nothing to worry about. Just a little cough."

* * *

It had taken a couple of weeks, but NASA had finally gotten back to them with the next step in the process for preparing the rover for the long journey ahead. The air scrubbers in the rover weren't designed to handle the volume or air that would need to be cleaned during their weeks long journey. The hab's air filtration, however, was more than sufficient.

Since there were only two of them currently in the hab, NASA had deemed it safe to remove one of the hab's four air scrubbers, and mount it to the roof of the rover.

Which was easier said than done. The rover was designed to be a sealed environment, so they were going to have to cut a hole in the roof, bolt the scrubber on, seal the junction with epoxy resin, and hope they were left with an airtight seal.

Removing the scrubber from the hab had been easy enough, but creating the the hole in the roof of the rover was proving more difficult. Cosima picked up her makeshift hammer, a rock, and banged it repeatedly onto the partially cut out roof panel.

Sitting back on her heels, she threw the rock aside in disgust. "This is fucking ridiculous," she groused.

Delphine, from her place on the ground, looked up at her. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter is that a rock as a hammer is fucking stupid. This is never going to work."

"They tested it and-"

"I don't care if they tested it! They aren't here. I've been pounding on this stupid piece of metal for the last ten minutes and it isn't doing a fucking thing!"

Even from her position atop the rover, Cosima saw Delphine's mouth flatten into an angry line. "Don't yell at me, Cosima. I'm not the enemy here."

Cosima sighed, her shoulders dropping, as the anger drained out of her. She wasn't mad at Delphine, or even the engineers at NASA. She was just frustrated that everything always had to be so fucking hard.

She drew in a deep breath, hoping to calm her ire, but it immediately sent her into a small coughing fit. Delphine's annoyed expression morphed into one of concern, and she took an unconscious step toward the rover.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Fine, fine. The air in the suit is just a little dry. I'll be fine once I get a drink." Secretly, Cosima wasn't so sure. The cough wasn't getting any better; if anything, it was getting worse. Cosima had been doing her best to hide it, not wanting to worry Delphine. It was probably just a cold. With as run down as they were, it was a surprise one of them hadn't gotten sick before now.

"Do you want to call it quits for today?" Delphine asked.

Cosima shook her head, pushing herself to her feet. "No. I want to get this stupid roof panel removed." Cosima took a tentative step forward, placing herself square in the center of the punched out panel. Small holes had been cut around the perimeter, and, in theory, it shouldn't take much to break it away from the main body of the vehicle. Cosima bounced up and down experimentally.

"What are you doing?" Delphine questioned, sounding faintly alarmed.

"I'm never going to break the panel free with that rock," Cosima said, continuing to bounce in place. "Maybe if I-"

"-Cosima, please be-"

On her next upstroke Cosima launched herself as high into the air as she could. She landed with a thud, but, save for a few ominous creaks, the panel stayed in place.

"-jump on it-"

On her next bounce, she went even higher, and this time, when she landed, it was with a satisfying crack. Before she could enjoy her success, she was plunging through the newly created hole roof of the rover, and landing in a jumped heap in the cockpit below.

"-careful!"

Cosima lay on her back, staring up at the Martian sky, slightly dazed. The door to her left was ripped open, and Delphine looked at her in concern.

"Are you okay?"

Cosima wiggled her fingers and toes, trying to determine if anything had been damaged in the fall. "Seem to be."

"We're calling it quits for the day." Even if Cosima had been inclined to argue, which she wasn't, Delphine's tone indicated any protest she put forth would be summarily dismissed.

* * *

"I'm worried about your cough."

Cosima raised her head from it's spot on Delphine's shoulder, looking the blonde in the eye. "There's nothing to worry about," Cosima insisted. "It's just a cold. I'm just taking a little longer to shake it than normal." Cosima rubbed her hand over Delphine's belly and placed a quick kiss on her collarbone, before resting her head back on her chest, soothed by the steady thump of Delphine's heartbeat. "I'm going to be fine."

After her fall in the rover, Delphine had declared that they weren't going to do anything more strenuous that evening than curl up in bed and watch TV. Not being an idiot, Cosima hadn't protested. She was actually feeling a little stiff from her little tumble, and her body's reserves were depleted after a day of physical labor.

"I think you should stay inside and rest tomorrow. I can take care of installing the oxygen scrubber, or it can wait a few days."

Cosima sat up, pulling away from Delphine entirely. "What? No way. I'm fine, Delphine."

Delphine shook her head, not looking convinced. "You've been coughing for weeks now. You're not fine. You need rest."

"All I've been doing for weeks is resting, that's clearly not the answer. We need to stay on track with the modifications. We get one chance at this. If we miss it, that's it. I haven't always been the most punctual person, but this is one time I'm determined to be early."

"A few days isn't going to make a difference," Delphine protested stubbornly.

"We can't know that. What if the seal doesn't work like NASA planned? It could be weeks for them to figure out a solution. Too many delays like that, and we're going to be cutting it really close. We can't afford to take unnecessary days off because I have a case of the sniffles."

"You're being unreasonable about this."

"Maybe so, but it's my body, and my decision."

Delphine looked mutinous, but she held her tongue. They were once again at an impasse. Rolling onto her side, and away from Cosima, Delphine pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. "If you plan to stay up watching TV, please use your headphones." The dismissal couldn't be more clear.

Cosima looked at the rigid line of Delphine's back with a sigh. She hadn't meant to piss her off, but Cosima also didn't appreciate being hovered over. They had too much work to get done for her to be sidelined with a cold. Instead of apologizing, Cosima turned off the light, and rolled over onto her own side, facing away from Delphine.

* * *

Things were still strained the next morning, but they had work to do. Cosima missed the usual, easy conversation that normally flowed between them as they worked in near silence to get the air filtration unit bolted onto the roof.

Even though she didn't think she had been in the wrong, she had to fight the reflexive urge to apologize. She hated this awkwardness between them, and she wanted things to return to normal. Not since she had made her decision to retrieve Pathfinder alone had things been this tense between them. Even if Delphine hadn't held onto her anger for long, that knowledge was small comfort at the moment.

"Here," Delphine said, reaching up to hand Cosima the tube of sealant.

"Thanks," Cosima said, suppressing a resigned sigh.

As if to mock the dysfunction in her personal relationship, the rest of the installation went off without a hitch. Everything worked as NASA had predicted. Which meant that they were back to playing the waiting game. At least the period of enforced rest would appease Delphine.

* * *

Three days later, Cosima was unable to get out of bed.

She had actually started to feel a little better, and was getting ready to concede that maybe Delphine had been right about just needing a little rest to mend. Things had slowly started to thaw between them, even as Cosima clung to her stubborn resolve not to apologize.

However, it hadn't lasted. Her formerly dry cough had turned wet, her lungs feeling like they were being squeezed by a vice, and her temperature had spiked. Cosima hadn't even had the energy to try to argue that she was fine.

A cool, damp cloth on her forehead roused her momentarily from a restless half-sleep, and she turned her head to see Delphine looking at her, face etched in worry.

"Hey, you," Cosima rasped, mustering up an exhausted smile.

"How are you feeling?" Delphine asked, gently stroking the washcloth down Cosima's throat.

Cosima shrugged. "Like shit." She was far beyond pretending. "I think I'm dying," she tried to joke weakly. Her attempt fell flat.

"You're not dying," Delphine said fiercely. "I won't let you. They think it's pneumonia." Cosima nodded. Part of her wanted to ask if that's what they actually thought, or if it was what they hoped. While a case of pneumonia was far from ideal, it was probably the best case scenario. Anything more serious would be a certain death sentence.

"And what does the doctor order?" Cosima had vowed to do whatever Delphine asked of her. No more arguing, or insisting she was fine. Cosima thought Delphine had shown remarkable restraint in not telling Cosima 'I told you so'. Perhaps if she had listened to the blonde in the first place, she wouldn't be in this position now.

"This. Rest. Sleep. Given time your body, with the help of some heavy duty antibiotics, should fight it off." The confidence Delphine was trying to project seemed forced to Cosima. Normally, a bout of pneumonia would be an inconvenience to an otherwise healthy adult. Now, it could very well prove to be fatal. Her body didn't have the normal reserves it would need to draw on to mend itself.

Cosima nodded. She fumbled weakly for Delphine's hand, entwining their fingers. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you when you told me to take it easy. I was just being a stupid, stubborn-"

"Don't worry about that right now," Delphine cut her off. She stroked her hand over Cosima's once again sweaty brow, and down the side of her face. "Rest. You can make it up to me with you're feeling better." Delphine managed a weak smile, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on Cosima's forehead.

Cosima closed her eyes, exhaustion pulling her under once more.

* * *

It got worse before it got better.

Cosima lost track of time, fading in and out of consciousness, as the fever raged through her body. She was only dimly aware of Delphine, who never strayed far from her side. Doing her best to soothe Cosima and keep her body cool, murmuring a constant stream of reassurances in French.

Mercifully, the fever finally broke, and her body was able to start the true healing process. After days of restless tossing, she fell into a deep, restive sleep. Every now and then, Delphine would wake her, and force her eat and drink something.

Slowly, Cosima started to feel more human again, and her strength returned. After a few days, she was well enough to get shakily out of bed. The first few steps were wobbly, and she almost regretted not waiting for Delphine when she narrowly avoided pitching face first onto the ground. However, now that she was alert, she was determined to make her way to the bathroom.

She had almost made it, having only to stop one or twice to steady herself, when Delphine hurried into the room. Rushing to Cosima's side, she wrapped her arm snuggly around Cosima's waist. She hated to admit it, but she was grateful for the support, leaning heavily into Delphine's side.

"You should have waited for me," Delphine chided lightly, looking down at Cosima with a slight frown. "You could have hurt yourself."

"I needed to use the bathroom."

"How are you feeling?" Delphine asked, walking Cosima slowly toward her destination.

"Actually? Not that bad. I still feel a little shaky, but the fever seems to have passed and my head doesn't feel as fuzzy." Cosima drew in a deep, experimental breath. "Even my chest doesn't feel as tight."

Delphine looked relieved. "The antibiotics must have done their job." Reaching the bathroom, Delphine stopped near the door. "Are you okay from here?"

"Yeah. I'm good." Even if she wasn't, she wasn't going to admit it. Cosima was doing her best to ignore the reality of all that Delphine had likely had to help her with the over the last week. Now that she was back on her feet, she was determined to regain what she could of her tattered dignity.

* * *

Cosima emerged from the bathroom to find Delphine sitting at the table, a food packet sitting unopened in front of her.

"It's not time for dinner is it?" Cosima asked, rubbing her stomach absently. She realized with some surprise that for the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn't feel hungry.

"You need to keep your strength up," Delphine offered by way of an explanation. Cosima walked slowly toward the table, still feeling a little unsure on her feet. She pulled out the chair and sat down across from Delphine.

As Cosima watched Delphine prepare the packet contents, a nagging suspicion started to take shape. The suspicion grew roots when instead of splitting the contents of the packet, Delphine slid the entire package toward her.

"You're not having any?"

Delphine shook her head. "You need it more. The illness took a lot out of you."

Cosima pushed the packet of food back to the center of the table. "You need to eat too."

"And I will. Later."

"Delphine, please tell me you haven't been giving me extra food." If she had been hoping for a denial, she was disappointed. Delphine sat across from her, looking defiant, her arms crossed over her chest. Cosima sighed. "Goddammit, Delphine. We don't have the food to spare."

They had calculated their caloric needs down to almost the hour, and even with the boost from the potatoes, they weren't technically going to have enough food to get them through to the date of extraction.

"What would you have had me do?" Delphine demanded angrily. "Your body was being pushed to the limits. It didn't have the energy to fight off the infection."

"You should have checked with me first! It wasn't your decision alone to make."

"Checked with you? You weren't even conscious at the time. A decision needed to be made. So I made it." Delphine pushed herself away from the table, turning to walk angrily across the room.

Cosima sighed. She didn't want to fight with Delphine. She was frustrated, and a little bit angry, but not at Delphine. At herself, for putting them in this position in the first place with her own stupidity and impatience.

Getting to her feet, Cosima walked hesitantly over to Delphine, not sure her presence would be welcome. Delphine was pacing a short trail back and forth besides their bed. Cosima reached out, resting her hand lightly on Delphine's arm to stop her motion.

When Delphine stilled, and didn't brush her hand off, Cosima breathed a sigh of relief. She gripped Delphine's hand, tugging lightly until Delphine was turned to face her. Delphine looked at her quietly, her eyes glassy.

"I thought you were going to die," she said quietly, her voice cracking with emotion. "I did what I had to do." Delphine lowered her head, resting her forehead against Cosima's.

Cosima leaned her body into Delphine, wrapping her arms around her waist. Delphine slid her arms around Cosima's neck, pulling her closer, her hands clutching tightly to her shoulders. The hold was almost suffocating, but Cosima absorbed the contact greedily.

"I know you did," Cosima said. She couldn't blame Delphine for her actions, she knew she would have done the same if their situations were reversed. Cosima felt a tremor pass through the blonde, and she rubbed her back. "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to kill," Cosima reassured her.


	13. So Long, and Thanks for All the Potatoes

**Chapter 13: So Long, and Thanks for All the Potatoes**

Cosima looked around the hab, doing one final inspection to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. After months of prep work, she and Delphine were finally preparing to embark on the penultimate leg of their journey.

Thankfully, after she recovered from her bout with pneumonia, they hadn't experienced any major setbacks. Cosima's fears about falling behind had been unfounded, and if anything, they were ahead of schedule.

Since they weren't going to need to power the hab any longer, they had spent the last few days stripping as many solar panels as they could carry on the trailer they would be towing behind the rover. All they could carry ended up being almost half the array. It would be a bit of work to set it up and break it down every day, an expenditure of energy she wished they could avoid, but they were going to need the charging capacity.

The added systems were going to pull a lot more power, and the batteries were going to need frequent charges. They needed to do whatever they could to reduce the time it would take to charge the batteries, or they would never make the journey in time.

They were set to leave tomorrow morning, which, if everything went as planned, would give them about a week at the Leda IV landing site. Cosima had wanted to make sure they had more than enough time to make the needed modifications to the MAV, and still account for some delays in travel.

They only had one shot at this, and they needed to get it right.

A thin pair of arms, too thin, slid around her waist from behind. Delphine rested her chin on Cosima's shoulder, peering down at the clipboard she held. "We have everything." Delphine turned her head, kissing Cosima on the neck as she plucked the list out of her hands. "As obsessed as you've been checking this, you don't get to make fun of me for my list making ever again."

Cosima turned around, and Delphine tossed the clipboard onto a nearby table. Resting her head against Delphine's chest she sighed, a mix of exhaustion and contentment.

"This is really it. After we leave here tomorrow, there's no going back." Cosima had been looking forward to this day with a mix of anticipation and dread since NASA had revealed their plan. She knew if they had any hope of survival it needed to be done, but leaving the relative safety of the hab left her feeling unmoored. It wasn't much, but it had become home.

Delphine tightened her hold on Cosima. "It's going to be fine," Delphine reassured her. "We've managed to come this far, against all the odds. We'll get through this too." Delphine squeezed her tightly, rocking her gently from side to side. "Plus, admit it, you're looking forward to going faster than anyone in the history of space flight."

"Okay, yeah, that part is pretty cool." When NASA ran the numbers on the speed they would need to reach to connect with the Leda, they realized that they would be traveling fast, really fast. The Leda couldn't enter low Mars orbit, because they didn't have the fuel to spare, and the MAV hadn't been designed to go fast enough to leave orbit. To make up the difference, they would need to drastically reduce the MAV's weight, and strip it of it's non-essential, and a few essential, systems to get her to go fast enough.

"Come to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We need our rest."

Cosima smiled up at her, batting her eyelashes playfully. "Why Dr. Cormier, it sounds like you're trying to proposition me."

Delphine nuzzled into Cosima's neck. "You've found me out. I still find you utterly irresistible."

In truth, sex had been the last thing on either of their minds.

Neither one of them had energy for much these days. Even with the third harvest of potatoes, their food stores were dangerously low. And while the potatoes helped fill their stomachs, the effects of chronic malnutrition were taking their toll on both women.

Where before they had been trim, and athletic, they were now little more than skin and bones. Their nutrient starved bodies slowly eating away at what little muscle mass they had remaining. They had run out of vitamins months ago, and their skin and hair were showing the signs. Cosima was pretty sure she had scurvy, a fact she could almost find funny.

Cosima twined her fingers through Delphine's and tugged her along. "Okay. Let's enjoy one more night in our big, spacious, bed. I am _not_ looking forward to sleeping in that tiny cot we have set up in the rover."

The universe seemed determined to torture Cosima with tiny sleeping bunks.

* * *

Even though they had peacefully coexisted for months in the confined space of the hab, Cosima had still been a little worried about how they would handle the even tighter quarters of the rover. It had all the potential of being the road trip from hell.

Like any good road trip, the playlist was essential. Cosima took her eyes briefly off the horizon to tap a few keys on the computer resting on the center console between their seats. Delphine swatted at her hand, tugging the computer onto her lap, and out of Cosima's reach. "It's my turn to pick the music."

"But your taste in music is terrible," Cosima whined playfully. Really, it wasn't that bad, but Cosima liked to give Delphine a hard time about it. "At least pick something with English lyrics."

Delphine shook her head. "It's not my fault you spent the last year watching campy TV shows instead of putting your time to good use and learning a little more French. I offered to teach you."

"Hey, I learned some French!" While Cosima had a rudimentary grasp of the language, music often moved along too quickly for her to translate.

Delphine looked at her flatly. "That doesn't count."

Cosima shrugged. "I say it totally counts. Being able to follow directions in another language is an important life skill."

* * *

Much like they had in the hab, their days in the rover soon developed a familiar routine. They would drive for around 4 hours, until the rover's battery was drained to 25%, and then they would stop to set up the solar array. After 6 hours of charging they would drive until the battery reached 50%, stopping for the night and laying out the solar panels again. By noon, they would have enough of a charge to start the process all over again.

Cosima supposed it should be old hat by now, but every time she got out of the rover and put her boots on Martian soil she marvelled at the fact that she was on an alien planet. Even after all these months, and the hardships they had faced, she still felt that thrill of excitement and disbelief that she was here.

She supposed some people would find Mars landscape bleak and depressing, but it never failed to take Cosima's breath away. In an odd sort of way, she was almost going to miss it.

* * *

"What's the first thing you're going to do once you're back home?" Delphine asked.

They were laying on their makeshift bed, Delphine propped up on a small pile of pillows, and Cosima leaning back against her chest. They had decided to forgo their nightly ritual of watching TV to just sit quietly with each other and talk.

By tacit agreement they had always avoided talking about their return to Earth. In the early days, it had seemed too distant a goal to wrap their heads around. If they talked about Earth, they would be reminded of just how unlikely it was that they would ever see it again. So, instead, they had focused on the more near goals.

Making sure they had enough power. Figuring out how to grow food. Converting the rover to make the trek. All steps along the path to Earth, but smaller, and more immediate. Attainable.

Now, with the end so close, and rescue seeming less like a dream, and more like a reality, that embargo was finally lifted.

"Visit my parents," Cosima said without hesitation. "I miss them. Plus, they live on a houseboat and after all this time in space, and on a desert planet, I think it will be nice to be around water again. What about you?"

Cosima could almost here the soft lap of the water against the side of her parent's houseboat if she closed her eyes. Feel the gentle sway of the waves as they rocked the boat. Smell the salty tang of the air.

Delphine pondered the question for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't know." She sounded bewildered, as though she hadn't really thought of it, even though she had been the one to ask the question in the first place.

Cosima wanted to ask Delphine to join her, to meet her parents, to come home with her, but she didn't. For as much as they talked, the one thing they never discussed was their future.

Cosima knew more about Delphine than anyone else in her life, and in return, Delphine knew things she had never told anyone else, including Sarah. She knew that Delphine's favorite book growing up had been _La Isla Misteriosa_ , and that she had carried a dog eared copy around with her for years. That one still sat in a storage box in Paris, awaiting her return.

She knew that Delphine had always wanted to be a botanist, even as her parents had insisted that she was wasting her talents. That she could attain much more fame and, more importantly, money, if she pursued medical school instead. They had always expected her to follow in her father's footsteps and become a surgeon.

Delphine knew that Cosima sometimes felt like an outsider in her own family. The love between her parents so palpable, that it often didn't leave room for much else. Not even their only daughter.

Knew that, one summer when she was twelve, she had almost burned down the family home. Her parents had left her alone for a few days, deeming her old enough, and responsible enough, to be left alone. It had all been going fine until one of her science experiments had gotten out of hand. Luckily she had remembered the fire extinguisher her father kept under the kitchen sink before any real damage could be done.

She had never told her parents, for fear that they wouldn't leave her alone again. Even at twelve, she had exalted in the freedom of being left alone.

She knew so much about Delphine's past, yet so little about what she wanted from her future.

Did Delphine see a future for them? Or did she view their time on Mars as a brief interlude? A function of proximity and loneliness. Would she want to be with Cosima once they returned to civilization, or would she be content to part ways? Friends, but nothing more.

Cosima didn't know, and she was too chicken shit to ask.

If Delphine did see their relationship as temporary, Cosima didn't want that knowledge to spoil their last bit of time together on Mars. She wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. To store up as many memories as possible. She didn't want to taint their time together with the knowledge that they were on a fixed clock, ticking inexorably toward zero.

Cosima ran her hands up and down Delphine's legs, turning her head to place an kiss on her cheek. "Well, you don't have to figure it out right now. You'll have months to decide." Unable to resist, Cosima offered, "And if all else fails, you can always come spend a few days with me, and meet my parents. They love having company, and I'm sure they would love to grill you on how you managed to spend a year with me on Mars without murdering me in my sleep." Cosima kept her tone light, not wanting to spook Delphine. Wanting to be able to play off the offer as a joke.

Cosima breathed a sigh of relief when a small smile curved Delphine's lips. "I may take you up on that."

"And I promise I'll do my best to make sure Sarah doesn't torture you too badly." Cosima knew it was most likely an empty promise. Sarah could be relentless when she put her mind to something.

* * *

They ended up arriving at the Leda IV landing site with nine days to spare.

After a year of the hab, and their equipment, being the only man made objects she saw, it was surreal to see the Leda IV MAV rising on the horizon.

Delphine placed a hand on her knee, squeezing gently. "We made it."

Cosima nodded. The most dangerous part of their journey still lay ahead of them, but this was a victory in it's own right. They had travelled thousands of miles across a treacherous, and hostile terrain, and lived to tell the tale.

Cosima grabbed Delphine's hand, bringing it up to her lips, and kissing the back. "Now the real fun begins."

* * *

Stripping the MAV of all it's excess components was an exercise in perseverance. Their muscles, already wasted by malnutrition, had withered further after weeks of forced inactivity in the rover.

It was slow, exhausting work, and Cosima worried that they even with their nine day window they may not get it done in time. NASA had given them instructions to essentially strip the MAV down to the frame. Extra seats, navigation console, windows, even the nose cone of the ship, all had to go. Cosima had questioned that last one, but NASA had been adamant.

Cosima hoped they were right. If she died in the final stretch after making it this far, she was going to be pissed.

They ended up finishing with a day to spare. NASA still had the Leda on track to enter Martian communications range the day after tomorrow. The MAV had an independent communications system, so for the first time in a year, they would be able to hear voices other than their own.

That night, with water conservation no longer an issue, they did their best to bathe in the cramped confines of the rover. She may look like shit, but Cosima refused to smell like it if she could help it. Felix would never let her hear the end of it.

Delphine kneeled in front of her on the mattress, head tipped towards her chest. Cosima dipped the washcloth into the bucket of warm, soapy water. Wringing out the excess, she stroked it lightly down Delphine's back. Each vertebrae and rib stood out in stark relief, a testament to their months of deprivation.

Cosima leaned forward, placing a soft kiss in the middle of Delphine's spine. Delphine sighed, leaning back into the touch. Cosima pressed her bare chest up against Delphine's back, reaching around to stroke the washcloth over Delphine's breasts.

Delphine reached behind her with one arm, cradling the back of Cosima's head and pulling her forward for a lingering kiss. Cosima tossed the washcloth to the side, and crawled around until she was facing Delphine, kneeling in front of her on the mattress.

Silently, she reached out, stroking her fingers tenderly over the slope of Delphine's breast, over her nipple, and down across her ribs. Trying to memorize every contour and swell in case this was the last time they would ever be with each other in this way.

Even if everything went perfectly tomorrow, Cosima was painfully aware that this could be the end for her and Delphine.

Bending forward, she placed a soft, reverent kiss on the scar on Delphine's abdomen. Delphine sighed, cradling the back of Cosima's head against her. It had become a bit of a ritual in their lovemaking. Cosima never failing to kiss the scar that had started them on this whole journey.

Cosima placed a kiss on Delphine's ribs, the underside of her breast, her nipple. Slowly working her way up her body until she was claiming her lips. It was slow, and gentle, and brimming with suppressed emotion.

Delphine cupped her hands on either side of Cosima's face, leaning back to lie down on the mattress, and dragging Cosima down on top of her, keeping their mouths fused together. Cosima didn't resist, following along willingly. She hovered over Delphine, not wanting to put all of her weight on her. Both of them were all bones and sharp angles.

Delphine grew impatient, trying to pull Cosima down. Finally, Cosima relented, shifting to the side, and slotting herself along Delphine's side instead. Delphine hummed her approval. It was an echo of their first time together. Cosima thought that was almost poetic.

Slowly, she stroked her hand down the center of Delphine's chest, over the concave dip of her stomach, before bringing it to rest between Delphine's legs. Gently, she slid her fingers into Delphine's wetness, her fingers massaging the flesh tenderly.

Cosima wasn't in any hurry. Tonight was more about connection than passion. She needed this sense of closeness with Delphine. If the way Delphine dug her fingers into Cosima's back, trying to pull her ever closer, was any indication, then she felt the same.

Cosima worked her up slowly, greedily swallowing every sigh, and groan that Delphine emitted. Finally, Delphine grew impatient with the teasing, biting Cosima's bottom lip a little roughly, conveying her displeasure with Cosima's pace.

Cosima smiled against her mouth, increasing the pace and pressure of her strokes. Once Cosima shifted her focus from teasing Delphine, to bringing her to climax, it didn't take long. It had been over a month since they last slept together.

Delphine shuddered delicately, her taut muscles going slack. Cosima gentled her touch, but left her hand tucked between Delphine's legs. Delphine continued to kiss her, slow and deep. Cosima didn't think she had ever met someone that kissed with such single minded focus. Whenever they kissed, Cosima felt like all of Delphine's attention was on her. That all that existed was this moment between the two of them.

However, Delphine wasn't content to lie passively beneath Cosima. In a practiced motion, made slightly more difficult by the tight confines, Delphine rolled them over until Cosima was pinned beneath her.

Delphine looked down at her silently, her expression searching, eyes scanning over her face, as though she too, were trying to catalogue every detail. Cosima threaded her fingers into Delphine's hair, pulling her down until their mouths met again.

Delphine didn't waste her time trying to build Cosima up, perhaps sensing that she was already close to the edge. Their months together had together had taught Delphine that Cosima usually didn't need much in the way of foreplay if she pleasured Delphine first.

Nevertheless, Delphine stroked her fingers through the wetness pooling between Cosima's legs a few times, just to make sure. Obviously satisfied with her findings, she slid two fingers inside. Cosima arched her hips, taking a moment to adjust to the fullness.

"You okay?" Delphine asked immediately.

Cosima nodded. "Never better." She leaned up to kiss Delphine, finding her concern, even after all this time, endearing. Delphine deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into Cosima's mouth, even as her fingers started to move between Cosima's legs.

Now it was Cosima's turn to clutch desperately at Delphine's back. Futilely attempting to pull the blonde ever closer as her fingers continued to plunge in and out of Cosima. Her turn, to bite playfully at Delphine's lip, silently letting the blonde know that while what she was doing felt great, it wasn't going to be enough.

Ever eager to please, Delphine pressed her thumb against Cosima's clit. It only took a few, firm stokes, before Cosima was gasping harshly into Delphine's mouth, her muscles going deliciously lax.

Delphine cupped her neck with sticky fingers, her thumb running lightly along Cosima's jaw. Cosima reached her own hand up, brushing Delphine's hair back from her face.

Neither one of them spoke. Neither one of them requiring words in that moment.

* * *

Cosima was up before the sun the next morning.

She tried to carefully untangle her limbs from Delphine's, not wanting to wake the blonde, but her efforts were for naught. Delphine grumbled in her sleep, her arms tightening around Cosima before they loosened, as awareness slowly crept in.

"It's still dark," Delphine mumbled sleepily. "Go back to sleep."

"I want to watch the sunrise." Cosima placed a kiss on Delphine's forehead, unwinding Delphine's arms from around her and tucking them carefully under the covers. "You should sleep though."

Delphine shook her head, her eyes blinking open. "No." She pushed herself up on her elbows. "I'll get up and watch with you."

"You don't have to do that," Cosima protested weakly.

"I want to," Delphine insisted.

They decided not to exit the rover, figuring it would be more comfortable to take in the rising sun from the relative comfort of the cockpit. Part of Cosima regretted not being outside to take in the sight, but if she was, she wouldn't be able to hold Delphine's hand as the sun crested over the horizon. She figured it was a fair trade.

As the sun slowly crept higher in the sky, bathing the plateau in the unique, red gold light of Mars, Cosima felt a sense of peace envelop her. No matter what the outcome of today's flight, she didn't regret her decision, made in a split second, all those months ago. Even if she died today, she would never regret the year she had gotten to spend getting to knowing Delphine.

The year she had spent falling in love with her.

If she had any regrets, it was only that she hadn't told her. She had debated with herself countless times over her decision to keep her feelings to herself. It wasn't that she doubted herself. She didn't. If she was only certain of one thing, it was her feelings for Delphine. It was fear that kept her silent.

The same fear that stopped her from asking Delphine her plans for the future. Cosima had never thought herself a coward, but she had been wrong.

"It's beautiful," Delphine said quietly.

"In a weird way, I'm almost going to miss it," Cosima admitted.

Delphine laughed. "I'm not sure I would go that far. I've missed the blues and greens of home."

Cosima rubbed her thumb across the back of Delphine's hand. "Soon."

* * *

Strapped in to one of the two remaining chairs in the MAV cockpit, Cosima feared her confidence may have been misplaced. Now that they were nearing the point of no return, their launch vehicle seemed even more precarious than she had imagined. She had a brief mental flash of Wile E. Coyote strapping himself onto a rocket only to have everything go terribly, horribly wrong.

The only thing they were waiting for was confirmation that the Leda was in range. They had had one last communication from NASA this morning telling them that everything was still green. If it all went to plan, they would be on their way home in a few more hours.

Even though she was expecting it, Cosima jumped in her seat when the speakers in her helmet crackled to life, and Beth Childs voice filled her helmet.

" _Childs to Leda IV MAV. Copy?"_

Cosima let out a jittery, relieved laugh. "Loud and clear, Commander. It's good to hear your voice."

" _You too, Dr. Niehaus._ _What's your status?_ " Cosima smirked, same old Beth, right to business with little time for pleasantries.

"We're all dressed up and waiting for our ride," Cosima quipped.

" _We're on final Mars approach now. Telemetry puts us at intercept in t minus 20._ "

"Understood, Commander." Cosima saw Delphine set the countdown clock.

" _You're about to enter communication blackout_ ," Beth informed them a moment later. " _We'll see you on the other side...Good luck_."

"Thanks, Commander. Hopefully we won't need it."

When the radio signal went dead, Cosima turned her head to grin nervously at Delphine. "Well, I guess this is it."

"Cosima, I…" Delphine shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

Cosima frowned. "What? What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just...I wanted to say…" Delphine cut off again, darting her eyes away for a moment, before turning her gaze back to Cosima. "Thank you. For everything. I never would have made it through this without you."

Cosima got the feeling that wasn't what Delphine had intended to say, but she didn't press it. Instead, she reached over to grasp Delphine's gloved hand awkwardly with her own. "Ditto, obvs. But something tells me you would have found a way regardless."

"I'm glad I didn't have to."

Even though Cosima was sure it violated NASA protocols, she kept Delphine's hand grasped in hers during launch. If she was going to die in a fiery explosion, she wanted to be holding Delphine's hand when she went.

Cosima had thought the ascent from Earth had been rough, but it paled in comparison to their path through the Martian atmosphere. The MAV shook violently, and Cosima was seriously doubting NASA's decision to remove the nose cone as the wind buffeted them violently as they arced upward.

Just as Cosima thought she was going to black out from the g-force, the pull of the planet slowly started to drop away. They had successfully escaped Mars atmosphere, and were entering low Martian orbit. Now, Cosima just had to hope they had gotten enough speed to reach intercept altitude.

Now that the pull of the planet was almost gone, and the engines were no longer providing directional thrust, the MAV started to tumble wildly. Cosima closed her eyes, not at all confident that the topsey turvey view wouldn't cause her meager breakfast to make an unwanted reappearance.

Normally, the MAV would have made small thruster adjustments to right itself, and stop the tumble, but that was one of the systems that they had stripped out to lose weight. Instead, the plan was that the Leda would use one of it's crane arms to grab the MAV as it approached, and reel it in.

Cosima was reminded of the old claw games that were a staple in almost every pizza parlor she had ever been in. She tried to ignore the fact that she had never successfully won a prize from one of the things. Hopefully, Paul was better at it than she had ever been.

" _Childs to Leda IV MAV. Status?_ "

"Alive and spinning, Commander. Any update on that ETA?" Cosima kept her eyes tightly closed.

" _We should have you in view in about 180 ticks. Hold tight, we'll bring you home._ "

Cosima squeezed Delphine's hand as tightly as her glove would allow.

The whole MAV jolted violently when the claw from the Leda's work arm clamped on. Cosima jerked violently against the restraining straps on her seat, her hand tearing away from Delphine's. Cosima was afraid that the stress would prove to much for the arm to hold. The Leda's work arm had been never been designed for this.

However, luck was still with them, and the grip held. Cosima opened her eyes, and was happy to see that the wild tumbling on three axes had been replaced by the stable orbit of the Leda. Cosima craned her neck, catching a glimpse of Mars floating far below.

Silently, she bid farewell to the red planet.


	14. Moving On Up, to a Deluxe Hamster Wheel

**Chapter 14: Moving on Up, to a Deluxe Hamster Wheel in the Sky**

Cosima stood in the airlock of the Leda with a sense of surreal detachment. She had been working towards this goal for the better part of a year, but only now realized she had never really believed it would happen. She glanced over at Delphine, who had removed her helmet, and wore a similarly dazed expression.

The blonde had never had Cosima's propensity to fill empty space with chatter, but her continued silence was starting to worry the brunette. Every since last night, Delphine had been quieter than normal, and not knowing what the other woman was thinking was starting to drive Cosima a little crazy.

Cosima wanted to ask her how she was doing, but now probably wasn't the best time. A glance at the porthole on the door showed five anxious faces peering back. Well, four anxious faces and Rachel.

After stripping off the last piece of her dusty suit, she glanced back to Delphine, barely resisting the urge to grab her hand. She didn't know what, if anything, Delphine would be comfortable revealing about their relationship. She would have to follow Delphine's lead.

"Ready to rejoin civilization?" Cosima asked with a smile.

Delphine nodded, glancing at the window nervously. Cosima could understand her apprehension. As happy as she was to be back with the rest of the crew, it all felt a little overwhelming. In some ways, it still didn't feel real. She kept expecting to wake up at any moment to find herself still in the hab on Mars.

Cosima released the inner locking mechanism, and the door swung open with a gentle hiss. She barely had room to clear the doorway before she was set upon. She didn't even know who was hugging her, everything blending together in a jumble of arms, hands, and greetings.

"Holy shit, dude, I didn't think I was ever going to see you again." Scott wrapped her in a crushing hug, and Cosima returned it as best as she could. Over his shoulder she saw Delphine standing somewhat stiffly as Beth gave her a quick hug. Delphine's eyes kept darting around, as though seeking the first available exit.

"You didn't touch any of my stuff did you?" Cosima joked, pulling away from the embrace slowly. She wanted to go to Delphine's side, and tell the others to back up, and let her catch her breath, but it wasn't her place, and she didn't know if Delphine would even appreciate the gesture.

"Nope. Your quarters are in the same disastrous state you left them in." Scott shook his head. "I will never know how you find anything in there."

Cosima patted him on the shoulder. "I have a system." Cosima grinned, unable to contain her happiness. "Shit man, it's so good to see you again. I really missed you." Cosima wrapped him in a quick hug, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek.

Scott smiled, dipping his eyes a faint blush staining his cheeks.

Cosima felt someone lift the end of one of her dreads. Turning, she found Felix looking at her with an expression she could only call mildly horrified. "Oh, darling. What _have_ you done to yourself?"

Cosima swatted his hand, forcing him to drop the lank of hair. "I like it."

"It's all very...Clan of the Cave Bear." Felix ran his eyes over her, his genuine concern easy to detect under his sarcastic surface. "NASA is never going to let you keep those."

"NASA can kiss my ass," Cosima retorted.

"Cosima, refined as always I see." Rachel's cool tones broke into the conversation. Cosima flashed her a quick grin. She had never been close to the prickly woman, but they had always had a respectful working relationship. "I'm pleased you're not dead."

Cosima let out a short laugh at the other woman's bluntness. It was such a Rachel thing to say. "Yeah, me too." Cosima tipped her head to the side. "Hey, maybe the four of us can play Agricola sometime. Delphine and I got quite good." Well, Delphine had anyway. Rachel looked taken aback by the comment, and sent a reproachful glare at Scott, who swallowed nervously.

"Perhaps," Rachel said noncommittally before nodding her head and excusing herself.

"Great, now she's going to be mad at me," Scott whined pitifully.

Cosima shrugged. "So what? Rachel always seems pissed off about something."

Felix looped his arms over Cosima's shoulder. "Oh, you're so behind on ship gossip." Felix nodded his head toward Rachel, who had moved off to speak to Delphine. "The lovely Rachel has our dear Scott's balls in a vice."

Cosima frowned, not following. "Their romance has become _quite_ the talk of the ship," Felix clarified.

Cosima looked from Scott, to Rachel, back to Scott. "No fucking way."

Felix nodded, looking quite pleased with himself. Scott, for his part, looked like he wanted to fall through the deck plating.

"She's not that bad," he defended. "Once you get to know her."

Personally, Cosima had her doubts, but she held up her hands. "Hey, no judgement man." Okay, so maybe there was a little bit of judgement. Cosima turned her attention back to Felix. "So, what else have I missed?"

* * *

Cosima entered her cabin slowly. Just as Scott had promised, it was exactly as she had left it. Walking in, and looking at her belongings, she felt like a stranger out of place. While all of the things were hers, everything felt slightly off. Like there was something missing.

Cosima didn't have to think too long on what that something was. Delphine.

Cosima sat down on the edge of her bunk, her fingers gripping the edge of the mattress tightly. In the rush of excitement upon returning to the ship, she had been able to push thoughts of the blonde to the back of her mind, but now, alone, they came flooding back.

They had barely spoken a half dozen words to each other since returning to the ship. At first, everyone had been eager to catch up with the pair. Ushering them into the mess to share a meal. Everyone had been concerned by their drastic weight loss. After they had been fed, she and Delphine had been put through a battery of medical tests. Now that they were back on board, and had access to diagnostic tests, flight medical director Dr. Hendrix would not be put off any longer. She wanted updated data, and she wanted it now.

Currently, the rest of the crew was preparing the ship for the return journey. Cosima and Delphine had offered to help, but both had been ordered to rest. In their separate quarters.

Cosima sighed.

She had lived with a girlfriend briefly in college, before getting dumped and kicked out, but in general she liked her own space. It wasn't until it was gone, that she realized just how accustomed to Delphine's presence she had become.

She wanted to go check in with Delphine, see how she was holding up, but at the same time, she didn't want to smother her.

 _For fucks sake, Niehaus, let the woman breathe. She just spent a year trapped on a planet with you. She probably wants a little time to herself._

In the end, exhaustion won out, and Cosima curled up on her side, letting sleep take her.

* * *

Cosima woke up, momentarily disoriented and confused, before memories of the days events came rushing back. Her stomach rumbled, and she almost rolled back over and went to sleep out of habit before remembering that she could now eat when she was hungry.

She had eaten her fill at dinner, but her stomach was so shrunken, her fill wasn't that much. It would take a series of small meals to work her way back up to eating a normal amount of food again. In the meantime, she was on strict order from Dr. Hendrix to eat as often as she was able. They wanted her to start putting weight on immediately.

Throwing off the covers, she swung her legs out of bed, and stood. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants, which sagged on her frame, and hoodie before exiting her room. The ship was quiet, the rest of the crew probably all asleep. A check of the chonomoter showed it was 2 AM ship time, but Cosima's body was still acclimated to Mars. For her it felt like early evening.

She entered the mess hall, expecting to find it empty, but was surprised to see she wasn't alone. Her back to the door, Delphine sat at one of the tables, staring down at the cup in her hands pensively. Cosima took a moment to just drink in the sight of her. It had only been a few hours, but she missed her already.

Now, on a ship surrounded by people, Cosima felt more alone than she had during all the months on Mars when it had been just the two of them.

Cosima cleared her throat softly, wanting to alert the blonde to her presence. Delphine spun at the sound, her tense shoulders relaxing when she saw who was intruding. A small, tired, smile graced her lips.

"I see we both had the same idea," Cosima said, walking over to the food storage bin to rifle through the options. After months of nothing but potatoes, the abundance of choice seemed almost overwhelming. Finally, Cosima settled on a pouch proclaiming to be scrambled eggs and sausage. She also grabbed an apple from the crisper, her body craving any form of fresh produce after all this time.

"The allure of coffee was too much to resist," Delphine said with a smile. Delphine pushed her cup towards Cosima, months of sharing food making the gesture almost instinctive. Cosima grabbed the cup and took a sip greedily.

Cosima closed her eyes in bliss. "Oh god, coffee. I almost forgot how good it was." Cosima slid into the seat across from Delphine, returning the cup of steaming liquid.

"How have you been holding up?" Cosima asked. Even after hours of sleep Delphine still looked exhausted, and the worried expression that Cosima thought would have dissipated after their rescue still remained. Something was obviously still weighing on the blonde.

Delphine gripped the mug tightly. "It's all a little overwhelming." Cosima nodded her understanding. "Even though we've been so focused on this for so long, I guess I just never really let myself believe we would actually get here. We're on the precipice of getting to truly live again and I just…"

"Can't quite believe it's real?" Cosima finished for her. Delphine nodded, looking at her gratefully for understanding. Cosima stretched her hand toward Delphine, but hesitated at the last second. Now that they were back on the ship, she found herself second guessing everything. Delphine saw the aborted motion, and frowned, but she didn't reach for Cosima's hand. Cosima curled her fingers into a ball and withdrew her hand, resting it on her lap.

"Delphine, that's normal. We've been through something… incredible… It's just going to take a little while for it all to sink in." Cosima gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'll get there."

Delphine shook her head, biting her lip lightly. "I expected to feel...happy."

"You're not happy?" Cosima asked, tipping her head to the side.

"No, I am, I just...I feel like…" Delphine shook her head, frustrated with her inability to articulate what she was feeling. "I feel unsettled. Adrift."

"Give it time," Cosima urged. "This whole thing has been a bit of a head trip. Don't put pressure on yourself to feel 100% back to normal the second you're rescued."

Delphine nodded, her eyes flicking up to meet Cosima's. "How about you? Scott looked happy to see you."

Cosima grinned at the mention of her friend. "I think he's just relieved to have someone to talk to besides Felix. Oh, get this," Cosima said, leaning in close, even though no one else was around to overhear. "Scott and Rachel? Totally dating." Cosima leaned back, wanting to see Delphine's reaction to the news.

Delphine took a moment to process the news, clearly not knowing quite what to make of it. "That's… an interesting development," she finally said diplomatically.

Cosima laughed, leaning back in her chair. "That's one word for it. I guess loneliness and isolation can make for strange bedfellows." The statement was the closest thing to addressing their own situation Cosima had ever made. She wondered if Delphine would pick up on the inference.

Delphine looked at her questioningly. "Do you think that's all it is? Maybe they truly have feelings for each other."

"I think Rachel would need to have feelings first for that to be possible," Cosima joked, earning a slight frown from Delphine. "Sorry, I know you think she's not that bad. Scott's a good guy. I just don't want to see him hurt if she's just using him for the duration." Cosima knew she wasn't just talking about Scott, but she still couldn't work up the nerve to ask Delphine directly.

"Scott's a big boy," Delphine said. "I'm sure he knew what he was getting into."

Cosima took a bite of eggs, not feeling remotely reassured by that answer. Was Delphine just talking about Scott, or was she too, obliquely referencing their own situation?

* * *

"For someone that was just rescued from certain death, you certainly seem quite depressed," Felix observed, sitting down next to Cosima with his dinner tray. "What gives?"

Cosima shoved a forkful of food into her mouth, shrugging noncommittally. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Felix rolled his eyes, and looked to Scott. "Has she told you anything?"

Scott shook his head, looking at Cosima in concern. "Not a word."

Felix looked at Cosima, to Delphine, who was sending furtive glances their way from her seat across the room next to Beth and Paul. Felix clicked his tongue in exasperation. "Please tell me you are not still pining after Dr. Cormier. Surely, after a year stranded together you managed to speak to her."

"Of course I talked to her," Cosima snapped. "Don't be an asshole."

"Well, there's obviously something going on between the two of you."

"There was," Cosima grumbled under her breath.

Felix's eyes hiked toward his hairline. "Are you telling me that you...and…" Felix shot his gaze back toward Delphine, only to find her staring at Cosima. Noticing his attention she averted her gaze. Felix whistled softly.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Scott asked, looking back and forth between the two of them in confusion.

"Apparently you and Rachel weren't the only ones to have an extraplanetary hookup."

Scott looked to Cosima for confirmation. "You and Delphine?" Scott's voice rose slightly at the end.

"Dude, keep your voice down," Cosima hissed, a sense of deja vu washing over her. "Besides, I think that was just a Mars thing. What happens on Mars, stays on Mars, you know?"

Felix looked at her skeptically. "If that's true, why does she keep looking over here like a lovesick calf?"

Cosima jerked her gaze up. "She does?" Sure enough, she managed to catch Delphine's gaze briefly before it darted away.

"Well, what did she have to say when you two talked about it." Cosima shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Felix narrowed his eyes. "You _did_ talk to her about it surely?" When Cosima continued to sit in silence, Felix expelled an exasperated breath. "Just talk to her you idiot."

"It's not that simple," Cosima protested, weakly.

"It is," Felix argued. "If you want to know where you stand...just ask her."

* * *

For the second night in a row, Cosima found herself sitting on her bed, alone.

Felix's advice had been running through her head all day. He made it sound so simple. If you want to know what Delphine is thinking, just _ask_ her. What he failed to realize was that in uncertainty, lay hope. As long as Delphine didn't confirm that it was over, Cosima could still pretend for a little while longer.

Once she asked, she could no longer delude herself into believing that everything was okay.

She knew she couldn't put it off forever. It had only been two days, and things were already weird between them. Every brief interaction was an exercise in speaking without really saying anything. Cosima hated it.

She glanced at the clock. It was only 8 PM ship time. Surely Delphine would still be awake. Cosima marshalled her nerve. This was it, she was going to go find Delphine and talk to her once and for all. Knowing, even if the answer wasn't what she hoped, it would be better than this state of limbo.

By the time she gripped her door latch to exit her quarters it was 8:45.

She never made it to Delphine's quarters. There, on the other side of the door, stood the object of her thoughts. Looking every bit as nervous as Cosima felt.

"Hey, hi." Cosima smiled nervously, twisting her fingers together. "I was just coming to find you."

Delphine looked at her steadily, her expression intent and focused. Determined. "Can I come in?" She peered over Cosima's shoulder at her cabin.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Cosima stepped back, allowing Delphine to follow. She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "What's up?" Cosima asked, after closing the door.

Delphine ran her hands through her hair, the only outlet for her nervous energy. There wasn't room to pace with the two of them in the small cabin.

"We need to talk," Delphine said bluntly, finally meeting Cosima's gaze. She looked resolute, and more than a little nervous, and Cosima didn't know if that was a good sign or not.

Cosima nodded. "Yeah. We do." She reached up, twining the end of one dread around her finger. "That's actually why I was coming to find you." Cosima motioned toward the bed. "Do you want to sit?"

Delphine shook her head, jaw tense, and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are we doing?" Delphine demanded.

Cosima frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This. Us," Delphine gestured between the two of them. "What are we doing?"

Cosima shrugged. "I don't know what you're looking for, Delphine. I've just been trying to follow your lead," Cosima said, feeling defensive. Delphine's brusque manner had put her on edge.

"My lead?" Delphine drew back, confused.

"Yeah. Your lead. I wasn't sure what, if anything, you were comfortable with the others knowing about us. You've seemed to want your space, so I've been giving it to you."

"My space?" Delphine shook her head. "You've been ignoring me since we arrived back on board. You're always with Felix and Scott. You've never once invited me to join you." Delphine sounded hurt by the perceived slight.

"I didn't want to crowd you. After spending so much time with me I figured you'd want to spend some time with the rest of the crew. To have some time to yourself."

"Is that how _you_ feel?" Delphine asked, her expression unreadable.

Cosima shook her head immediately. "What? No. I would spend ev-" Cosima cut herself off, with a sigh. "There's no one I would rather spend time with," Cosima admitted truthfully.

"Then why haven't I seen you in almost two days?" Delphine asked quietly.

Cosima rubbed her forehead wearily, knowing she couldn't continue to dance around the subject. "I've been afraid."

"Afraid?" Delphine shook her head. "Of what? I don't understand."

"We've never really defined this… thing… between us. Which, I get it, we didn't know if we were even going to make it off Mars alive, there was no point. But now, that we're back, I just… Are we even together?"

"I thought we were, but perhaps I was mistaken." Delphine's voice was laced with hurt, and Cosima realized she may have just made a huge mistake. Delphine started to retreat, and Cosima reached out and grabbed her hand. It was the first contact they had had since leaving Mars.

"Wait, Delphine. Don't… I didn't mean to… We've just never talked about this, you know?"

"I didn't realize that we had to," Delphine said stiffly, her emotional walls clear to see. "I thought it was obvious how I felt about you."

Cosima tugged Delphine closer, feeling her heart settle in her chest. It was finally becoming clear to Cosima that Delphine had been plagued by the same doubts and uncertainty that had afflicted Cosima. Not for the first time, she regretted not telling Delphine how she felt while they were still on Mars.

She knew that Delphine hadn't had the best luck with past romantic relationships. That her relationship with her parents was far from warm and loving. Cosima should have known that she was always going to have to be the one to express her emotions first.

Delphine stiffened, putting up a small bit of resistance, but a second tug on her hand had her resting against Cosima. Delphine looped her arms loosely around Cosima's waist, dipping her head until their foreheads knocked gently together.

Cosima reached up, stroking her fingers lightly down the side of Delphine's face, tipping her face up so she could look into Delphine's eyes. "I have something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you months ago, but I was too chicken shit to say." Delphine looked at her silently.

"Chicken shit?" Delphine asked, clearly unfamiliar with the idiom.

"Afraid," Cosima explained. She took a deep breath. "I love you, Delphine. And I have for a long time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I should have. I was just afraid that you didn't feel the same. But I realize now that that doesn't matter. Even if you don't love me back, that doesn't change how I feel about you.

"I don't want to this to end just because we're no longer the only two people on the planet. When we get back to Earth, I want to take you on dates, and to meet my parents, and I… I never want to stop making crazy science with you."

Delphine's eyes slid shut, a single tear escaping. Cosima looked at her with uncertainty. "Is this good crying or…"

Delphine chuckled, opening her eyes and brushing the tear off her cheek. "Yes, you idiot." Delphine brushed her lips gently against Cosima's. "J _e t'aime, aussi._ "

Cosima sighed in relief, wrapping her arms tightly around Delphine's back. Now that she had her back in her arms, she wasn't planning on letting her go anytime soon. "That's awesome. That's really, really awesome."

Delphine buried her face against Cosima's neck, placing a kiss at the base of her throat. "I think we should go to bed," Delphine murmured, kissing her way up to her ear.

Cosima shivered, and nodded. Pulling back slightly she turned around until she was facing her bed. Her small, cramped, bed.

Fucking NASA.

Delphine wrapped her arms around Cosima's stomach, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"I swear it's a conspiracy," Cosima complained.

Delphine turned her head, nibbling delicately on her ear lobe. "We've dealt with worse. We'll figure it out. Together."

Cosima nodded, leaning her body back into Delphine's, and covered the blonde's hands with her own. "I love you," Cosima sighed, dreamily. Now that she had said it once, she couldn't seem to stop herself. Not that wanted to. She had a lot of lost time to make up for.

Delphine pulled back, turning Cosima's head until they were eye to eye. "I know."

 **AN: Alright, I am declaring this one complete, though there is a possibility for an epilogue at some point.**


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Cosima ran into the airport, slightly out of breath, and skidded to a stop in front of the arrivals board. She had promised herself that she was going to be on time. She had been thinking of little else all week, and yet, here she was. Running. She hated running.

She was already anticipating Delphine's annoyed, or worse, disappointed expression, when she saw that fate was on her side today. Delphine's flight had been delayed, and they were only now starting the de-boarding process.

Cosima didn't take long to appreciate her good fortune. There may have been a delay, but she was still going to be cutting it close. She took the time to double check the gate number, and then she was off. Not quite at a run, but not exactly at a leisurely stroll either.

Arriving at the baggage claim, she saw that passengers had already started to stream into the area, waiting impatiently for their bags to appear on the baggage carousel. She raised up on her tiptoes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Delphine in the small crowd of people that was forming. It didn't take her long to spot the distinctive mop of blonde curls. Not for the first time Cosima appreciated the benefits to have a tall girlfriend.

The months they had spent traveling back to Earth on the Leda hadn't been luxurious, but they had been enough to restore Delphine and Cosima to an approximation of their former selves. It had taken time, but slowly, Cosima had put much needed weight and muscle back on her frame.

Putting some of that muscle to good use, Cosima pushed past the middle aged man standing in front of her with a softly uttered apology. She didn't wait to hear his response. There was a time and a place to be patient, and now wasn't it.

After NASA had completed their exhaustive debrief of the Leda crew, they had finally released them to some much needed leave. Cosima had over a month of leave before she was expected to report back for duty. True to her word, she had immediately booked a flight home. She had been hoping that Delphine would accompany her, but, much to her dismay, the blonde had been required to report to CNES for her own debrief.

Personally, Cosima thought it was ridiculous. Why did Delphine have to go all the way to France when surely NASA could just share their report? The two agencies were supposed to be working together on this venture. However, what Cosima thought didn't matter, and Delphine had booked a flight to Paris. She had offered to go with her, but Delphine had been adamant.

Cosima needed to go see her parents. Both parties had waited more than long enough. It would only be a week.

Cosima had never considered herself a particularly clingy or needy person, but she was starting to think she may need to reevaluate that assessment. Except for her three week trip, which both of them preferred not to talk about, Cosima especially, they had been together almost constantly for the better part of a year and a half. Logically, Cosima should be thrilled to have a week, or even two, all to herself.

But that wasn't the case.

She missed Delphine. They had talked on the phone daily, but with the time difference, and the demands on Delphine's time, they had been little more than quick check-ins. Cosima was more than ready to be able to wrap Delphine up in her arms. To snuggle down with her in bed, a proper sized one, and fall asleep with her nose buried in the blonde's hair.

Like something out of a cheesy romantic comedy, their eyes met, and Cosima smiled, her heart lifting in her chest, her world finally feeling right again. However, this wasn't a romantic comedy, so the crowd of milling travel goers didn't part before her, and instead she had to fight and push her way through, earning a few sharp elbows to the ribs on the way.

Cosima barely noticed.

Delphine dropped her travel bag to her feet, freeing her hands to cup Cosima's face. It was something Delphine loved to do, and Cosima didn't mind it one bit.

" _Bonjour, mon amour_ ," Delphine murmured, taking a moment to look intently into her eyes, absorbing her presence, before dipping her head. When their lips met, Cosima did her best to remember that they were in a public place. It only took a few seconds for her to forget everything except Delphine.

Winding her arms around Delphine's neck she pulled the blonde closer, going up slightly on her toes so she could press more fully against her. Delphine wrapped her arms low on Cosima's back, leaning back and lifting Cosima slightly off her feet. Sometimes their height difference was inconvenient, and sometimes it made her swoon. This was one of the latter.

"Oi, get a room," a familiar, and unwelcome, voice barked from behind Cosima. Breaking the kiss, and drawing in a much needed breath, Cosima dropped her forehead onto Delphine's shoulder with a sigh.

"Delphine, my cousin." Cosima's voice was slightly muffled. She wasn't quite ready to let Delphine go quite yet.

Delphine peeked over Cosima's shoulder. "You're Sarah."

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Sarah said brusquely. She nodded behind her. "You guys about ready? I'm not exactly legally parked out there. If I get a ticket, you're paying for it."

Reluctantly Cosima pulled herself out of Delphine's arms, grabbing onto her hand to at least maintain some form of contact. "We were just saying hello," Cosima said pointedly.

Sarah gave her a knowing look. "Is that what that was? Funny, I can usually say hello without jamming my tongue in someone's mouth."

Cosima narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "I should have gotten an Uber."

Sarah shrugged. "Yeah, well you didn't." Sarah glanced to the bag and Delphine's feet. "And I don't carry luggage." Not waiting for a response, Sarah spun around and disappeared into the sea of people.

Cosima gave Delphine an apologetic smile, reaching down to grab her carry-on. "I'm sorry about her. I don't have a car here, and she offered to give me a ride. I should have known better than to say yes."

Delphine shook her head, dismissing Cosima's apology. "Don't be ridiculous. I've wanted to meet her for a long time."

Cosima snorted. "I'm going to remind you of that later."

* * *

Cosima tossed Delphine's carry-on into the trunk and slammed the lid closed. Like Cosima, most of her belongings were still in storage and she was traveling light. Opening the rear passenger door she slid onto the back seat next to Delphine.

Cosima gave her what she was sure was a sappy grin, and reclaimed her hand, twining their fingers together.

"So I'm just your driver now?" Sarah groused from the front seat, wasting no time putting the car in gear and pulling away from the curb. The taxi she had just cut off let out an angry blast of it's horn. Sarah ignored it.

"I sat up front with you on the ride here, and you complained the whole time about me messing with the radio and clutching the dash like a little old lady," Cosima fired back.

"My driving isn't that bad," Sarah defended herself. Cosima looked at Delphine and shook her head. "The little yelps of fear were funny though."

"Pardon me for wanting to live so I could see Delphine one more time." Cosima smiled at Delphine, bringing their joined hands up to her mouth for a kiss.

Cosima saw Sarah roll her eyes in the rearview mirror "God, Felix was right about you two."

Cosima broke her gaze with Delphine to stare back at Sarah. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sometimes she really regretted introducing Felix to her cousin. They got along annoyingly well and had bonded almost instantly. Which wouldn't be so terrible, except the thing they had bonded over was teasing Cosima unmercifully.

"Just that you are constantly groping each other and making calf-eyes."

"We do not constantly grope each other," Cosima retorted. Felix and Scott had walked in on them _one_ time in the zero gravity bay and suddenly they couldn't keep their hands off each other. And of course Felix had told Sarah. Cosima knew she had no defense against the other statement, but she refused to apologize for it.

Sarah snorted. "That's not what I've heard." Sarah swerved, cutting across three lanes of traffic. Cosima slid sideways, crushing Delphine into the door. Cosima flashed Delphine an apologetic look, and pushed herself upright.

It was going to be a long ride.

* * *

Cosima retrieved Delphine's bag from the trunk and turned, surprised to see Sarah still sitting in the driver's seat.

"You're not coming in?" she asked, nodding towards the boat at the end of the marina.

Sarah shook her head. "Nah. I don't want to intrude. Besides they have the big party planned for the whole family on Saturday anyway."

"Big party?" Delphine asked, looking at Cosima curiously.

Cosima gave her a weak smile. "Did I not mention that?" Delphine shook her head with a slight frown. "Whoops, must have slipped my mind." It hadn't, she just didn't want to freak Delphine out before she even had a chance to unpack. Her parents meant well, but they could sometimes be a tad overwhelming.

"Mom and Dad just wanted to throw a 'Welcome Back to Earth' type thing. I tried to get them to change their minds, but they were pretty stubborn about the whole thing."

Delphine smiled. "A stubborn Niehaus? I can't even imagine what that must be like."

Sarah laughed, shaking her head. "She has your number, Cos." Sarah reached through the window, and offered her hand to Delphine. "It was nice to meet you, Delphine. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to torture this one," Sarah said with a nod in Cosima's direction. "We are going to need to get together and have a few drinks before you leave town. I'm sure you have some stories to share, and I _know_ I do."

Delphine waved away the apology. "I don't embarrass easily." Delphine reached over and tweaked Cosima in the side. "And I completely understand. She's adorable when she gets all worked up."

Cosima frowned. Great. Now she was going to have three people ganging up on her.

Sarah's eyes brightened, as though just now remembering something. "Speaking of worked up," she smirked at Cosima, causing a spike of alarm, "did you guys ever put my going away present to good use?" Sarah turned her attention to Delphine, hoping, Cosima was sure, to see the blonde squirm.

Her earlier words aside, Cosima knew that Sarah wouldn't be able to pass up an opportunity to try to embarass Delphine. Deep down, Cosima knew it was a good sign. It was Sarah's warped way of showing affection. However, at the moment, she just wanted to strangle her, not knowing how Delphine would take the teasing.

Delphine tipped her head to the side, her expression placid. "Well, we would have, but you forgot to pack the harness."

Sarah barked out another laugh. "I like this one. She's got grit. Alright, I'm out of here. See you in a few days, Cos. Remember, if Gene and Sally drive you guys nuts my offer still stands." With a wave, Sarah put the car and gear and drove off.

"Her offer?" Delphine asked, turning to look at Cosima.

"To crash on her couch," Cosima supplied. "Which we will _not_ be taking her up on. If you thought I was messy, you would have a fit if you saw how Sarah lived." Cosima shivered delicately.

"Worse than you?"

"Way worse," Cosima informed her with a nod. Cosima grabbed Delphine's hand. "You ready?"

Delphine glanced toward the boat, hesitating a moment, before nodding her head.

* * *

Sitting next to Delphine on the couch, with her mother looking at them with an adoring look, Cosima realized she should have asked herself that question. She rarely brought girlfriends home to meet her parents for exactly this reason.

"We're so glad you decided to come and stay with us for a while, Delphine. Cosima hasn't been able to stop talking about you, and we have been so eager to finally meet you."

"Thank you for having me, Dr. Niehaus," Delphine responded.

Sally Niehaus tutted softly. "None of that. You aren't one of my students," Cosima's mother corrected gently.

"Sally," Delphine acknowledged with a small nod. "You have a very… unique home."

"It's not for everyone," Gene conceded, sitting next to his wife with one arm slung casually over her shoulders. "But we love it. Being able to pull up stakes and go where the waters take us is liberating. We keep a slip in the city during the school year, but as soon as the year ends, we move up here for a few months to be closer to nature."

"Cosima spoke so fondly of it, I had to see it for myself. It's everything she described."

"She's spoken very highly of you as well. I don't think I've heard her as excited about anything since she told us she was going to Mars," Gene said with a twinkle in his eye. Delphine blushed, and shifted slightly in her seat. Cosima patted her on the knee comfortingly. She had known from the moment she invited Delphine home with her that this was inevitable.

Delphine glanced at Cosima with a shy smile. "I think highly of her as well."

"Well that's a relief," Cosima joked with a smile. "I would hate to think I had invited someone home that could barely stand me."

"Cosima told us you had to go back to France?" Sally questioned.

Delphine nodded. "Yes. My superiors wanted a full debrief after the mission."

"And I'm sure your parents were thrilled to see you after so long," Sally continued with a kind smile.

Delphine hesitated briefly, the tensing of her posture probably only noticeable to Cosima. "We weren't able to connect," Delphine replied with a forced smile. "My father was out of the country at a conference and _mère_ was traveling. We exchanged calls."

Not for the first time, Cosima cursed Delphine's less than attentive parents. Her own parents had offered to fly to Washington when she had told them that NASA was detaining them for a week. Cosima had assure them it would just be a waste of time, since she would be in meeting the whole time, but it had taken some convincing.

Gene and Sally glanced at each other, sharing a frown, clearly not understanding Delphine's parents apparent indifference.

"Will you be returning to France after your visit?" Sally asked curiously.

Again, Delphine hesitated, glancing at Cosima briefly, before directing her attention back to Sally. "I don't know yet. Like Cosima, I've received an extended leave of absence, so I don't have to make any decisions right now."

They hadn't really discussed long term plans now that they were back on Earth. Cosima knew what she wanted, but so far, she hadn't found the right time to bring it up with Delphine. Everything had been so hectic since their return that she wanted to give her some time to settle in, and adjust to being home again.

Sally reached over and patted Delphine on the knee. "I'm sure you girls will figure it out."

Gene leaned forward, removing his arm from around his wife and resting his hands on his knees. On anyone else, Cosima would have classified the move as an attempt at intimidation, but on her dad, it just looked vaguely comical. She had inherited her slight stature from her father's side of the family, and her dad was only a few inches taller than her, and just as slim.

"Speaking of plans. What are you intentions toward our Cosima, Delphine?"

Cosima closed her eyes in mortification. This, she hadn't seen coming. "Dad, please don't," Cosima begged. Her dad had to pick _now_ to be a traditional parent?

"What?" he asked, looking at Cosima in confusion. "It's a valid question." He puffed his chest out slightly, looking, to Cosima's mind, utterly ridiculous.

"It's also none of your business," Cosima retorted. "I've been an adult for a while now, and you have never once asked this question of anyone else I've brought home." Not that there had been many, but still.

"None of them warranted it," Gene shot back. He turned his attention back to Delphine. "Well?"

"You don't have to answer him," Cosima told Delphine. First Sarah, now this. She would be lucky if Delphine didn't run away screaming.

"No, it's fine," Delphine assured her with a squeeze of the hand. Delphine turned her attention to Cosima's father. "I can't speak for Cosima of course, but it's my plan, my hope, that we have a long and happy future together. There are a lot of details to work out of course, but," Delphine turned her head to smile at Cosima, "together I'm sure we can figure it out."

She knew this already, more or less, but hearing Delphine confirm it, caused Cosima to melt a little bit more in side.

"I always said there wasn't anyone on Earth worthy of her. Looks like I was right," Gene said with a proud smile.

"Dad," Cosima groaned. "Please stop." She turned to Delphine. "I apologize. He thinks he's funny."

Delphine smiled at Gene. "I think it's sweet."

* * *

All in all, Cosima couldn't be happier with how things were going. Her father's more cringe inducing moments aside, they were welcoming Delphine with the warmth and affection that she knew they would. Which was why when, in the middle of dinner, Delphine rose from her seat and excused herself abruptly, Cosima was left looking at her parents in confusion.

"Did we say something to upset her?" her mom asked in concern.

Cosima shrugged, looking at the door Delphine had left through. "I don't think so." They had been in the middle of a discussion on the possibility of starting and maintaining a container garden on board the boat. Hardly the type of topic to send Delphine running.

Cosima dropped her fork onto her plate and rose from her seat. "I'm going to go check on her."

Following after Delphine, Cosima opened the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the small deck at the front of the boat. Delphine was hunched over, arms resting on the deck railing, and her head hanging slightly over the edge of the boat.

Cosima approached her slowly, resting a hand on her lower back and sliding it gently up to rest between her shoulders. "Hey, are you okay?" Delphine swallowed thickly, and nodded her head jerkily. Unconvinced, Cosima rubber her hand in circles over the blonde's back. "Really? Because you don't seem fine. If they said anything to upset you-"

Delphine shook her head sharply. "No. They've been great. It's not-" Delphine cut off abruptly, her whole body lurching.

Realization dawned and Cosima made a sound of sympathy, pulling Delphine's hair back just in case. "Whoa, just breathe." Delphine closed her eyes, breathing deeply in through her nose. "Why didn't you say anything?" Cosima chided gently.

"I didn't think it would be a problem anymore," Delphine muttered miserably.

"You have a history of getting sea sick?"

"When I was in high school. My father bought a sail boat and took my mother and I out. I was violently ill the whole time. He never asked me along again. I thought since the boat was docked it wouldn't be a problem."

"Poor baby," Cosima soothed, leaning over to place a kiss on Delphine's shoulder blade. "I'm sure my mom has some dramamine stashed somewhere on board. Let me go ask her. If not I'll have my Dad drive me into town to find a drugstore."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure it'll pass." Cosima was determined that one of these days Delphine would accept help without putting up a fight first. Today just wasn't that day.

"Uh huh. And if that doesn't work, we may have to take Sarah up on her less than appealing offer." Delphine opened her mouth to no doubt protest, and Cosima held up her hand, stalling any further discussion. "Not a debate, Delphine. As much as I love my parents, we aren't going to stay with them if it means you spend the entirety of the trip hanging over the deck rail."

* * *

"Alone at last," Cosima said with a grin, leaning back against the closed door. She loved her parents, she did, but sometimes they couldn't take a hint. Luckily, her mom had been able to locate the Dramamine they kept on hand in case a guest got a little queasy, and after her stomach had settled, she and Delphine had spent the evening chatting with her parents.

And chatting. Delphine was no help, ignoring her subtle, and not so subtle hints about wanting to call it a night. Between the NASA debriefing, and Delphine's trip to France, it had been weeks since they had gotten any proper alone time, and Cosima had had enough.

Finally, Cosima had to take matters into her own hands and declared that she was tired, and was going to bed. Her parents had given her a knowing look, since it wasn't yet eleven and Cosima typically wasn't in bed before one in the morning.

Cosima was past the point of caring.

"I didn't think they would ever let us escape," Cosima continued, stepping away from the door and advancing toward Delphine.

Delphine turned away from her inspection of the small cabin to face Cosima. "Your parents are very sweet."

"Mmhmm," Cosima agreed, stepping into Delphine's personal space and resting her hands on the blonde's hips. "And they're huge fans of yours." Cosima placed a soft kiss against the base of Delphine's throat.

"Yes, someone has apparently been saying nothing but good things about me," Delphine teased gently. She cupped the back of Cosima's neck, thumb stroking back and forth along the column of her throat.

"I did tell you that it was my going to be my number one priority to expand membership," Cosima responded absently, placing a kiss against Delphine's throat.

Delphine gave a short laugh. "Of course, how could I forget."

Cosima pulled back to look Delphine in the eye. "I take my duties as president seriously, Delphine," Cosima said gravely. "Everyone should get the chance to know how amazing you are." Cosima's thoughts drifted to Delphine's parents, who couldn't even be bothered to alter their plans to welcome their daughter home. "And if they can't see it then they're idiots."

Delphine smiled at her softly, receiving the underlying message. Delphine cupped her hand against Cosima's jaw. "I think you're maybe a bit biased."

"I mean, you do have sex with me, and that does tip the scales heavily in your favor," Cosima teased with a smile, "but even if we were nothing more than friends I would still make it my mission to make people realize how incredible a person you are."

Delphine looked at her, a little glassy eyed, bottom lip caught between her teeth. "You're the incredible one."

Cosima took a moment to absorb the comment, before shaking her head, and dropping it to rest on Delphine's chest. "Goddammit," she grumbled.

Delphine rubbed her hand over Cosima's back. "What's the matter."

"Sarah and Felix are right. We're disgusting." Cosima whined, her voice slightly muffled.

Delphine laughed, kissing Cosima's cheek. "I guess we can work on stopping."

Cosima's head popped up. "What? No way." She leaned in, kissing Delphine lightly on the lips. "They're just going to have to get used to it." Cosima pressed forward, deepening the kiss.

Delphine slid her arms around Cosima's neck, locking them together and tugging Cosima closer. Cosima let out a soft moan. Good God, how she had missed this. She didn't care what Delphine said, if she had to return to France anytime soon Cosima was going with her.

Taking a few shuffling steps forward, Cosima slowly back Delphine towards the bed. The back of the blonde's knees hit the edge of the mattress and she sat down heavily. Instead of following her down onto the bed, Cosima stepped in between her legs, enjoying having the height advantage for once.

She ran her hands through Delphine's hair, tipping her face up. She swiped her thumb across Delpine's lips before leaning down and reclaiming them. Delphine slid her hands under the hem of Cosima's shirt, pushing the material up impatiently.

Cosima chuckled. "And here I thought I may have to try to convince you since we're staying with my parents."

* * *

Cosima blinked awake slowly. Something wasn't right. Face still pressed into the mattress she reached out blindly for Delphine, unable to see in the dark cabin, only to find empty space. Pushing herself up on her hands she, she reached over to click on the bedside light. It took a few moments to adjust, but when they did, she discovered she was alone not only in bed, but the cabin.

Worried that Delphine's motion sickness had returned, Cosima threw back the covers and swung her legs out of bed. She took a moment to locate a pair of pants and her favorite sweatshirt. Her parents may not have any illusions, but she didn't want to bump into them stark naked either.

As had become habit over the last week, she slid her hand into her pocket and wrapped her hand around the small object she had been carrying around since she had it made. It had made the trip with her from Mars, stashed safely in the boot of her suit, and it would kill her to lose it now. It would probably be wiser to put it someplace for safe keeping, but she didn't want to let it out of her possession. At least, not yet.

She checked the bathroom first, but still didn't find Delphine. The interior of the boat wasn't large, so it didn't take her long to determine that Delphine wasn't inside. Walking out onto the deck, Cosima shivered in the cool, damp, night air. She looked around, but still found no trace of Delphine.

"Up here," Delphine called softly, causing Cosima to jump, and spin around. Though she was unable to see her, she realized Delphine must be on the upper deck. She ascended the small spiral staircase quickly, wishing she had thought to put on some socks as well.

Delphine was sitting on a chaise, wrapped in a blanket, chin resting on her updrawn knees. Cosima approached slowly, not entirely sure of her welcome.

"You okay?" Cosima asked, a trace of worry in her voice.

Delphine nodded with a soft smile. "I couldn't sleep, and didn't want to disturb you. All of the time zone changes have my internal clock confused."

Reassured by the response, Cosima rested her hand on Delphine's shoulder, urging her to scoot forward. Delphine looked at her curiously for a moment, usually their positions were reversed, but eventually moved up. Cosima slid onto the seat, doing her best to bury her nearly frozen toes under Delphine's legs.

Delphine reached down to cover them with her hand, rubbing some warmth back into the chilled skin. Cosima wrapped her arms tightly around Delphine, burrowing her arms under the blanket Delphine had tented over her legs.

She rested her chin on Delphine's shoulder, turning her head to place a kiss on her neck. "You should have woken me up."

"You were sleeping so peacefully."

"What are you doing out here?"

Delphine leaned back against her chest, looking up at the tapestry of stars overhead. With the light pollution from the city, there weren't many, but some of the brightest were still visible. It was a far cry from the sky on Mars. "Just thinking."

"About?"

Delphine sighed. "I didn't think I'd miss it." Cosima didn't have to ask what she was talking about. She had had her own mixed feelings about actually leaving Mars. It had been an experience that had forever altered the course of her life.

Cosima directed her gaze upward, searching the sky. It didn't take her long to locate the small dot of light, set apart from its neighbors by it's unusual brightness and ever so faint red tint.

"I'm sure if you asked nicely, NASA would be willing to send you back up there. You're something of a star over there." Cosima wasn't entirely joking.

Delphine shook her head. "I don't miss it that much."

Cosima chuckled. "Yeah. I know the feeling. While I will always have fond memories of my time there," Cosima tightened her arms, leaving no doubt to what, or rather, to whom, she was referring, "if they asked me to go back I would have to kindly tell them to fuck off."

Delphine laughed. "If you're not careful you're going to get fired."

Cosima shook her head, unconcerned. "No way. NASA would never risk the bad PR." Cosima licked her lips nervously. "In fact, they offered me a new position. Thanks to your botanical genius, I'm something of a celebrity."

Delphine turned her head, looking up at Cosima in surprise. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Cosima shrugged. "It didn't seem like that big a deal."

"Of course it's a big deal! How can you say that? What's the position?"

"They want me head a project for astronaut candidates that simulates extreme survival scenarios. What happened to us up there really highlighted to NASA that no matter how much we plan, it only takes a moment for things to go to total shit. As much as we prepare, we don't really prepare for that."

Delphine kissed the underside of Cosima's jaw. "That's wonderful. _Félicitations_."

"I told them I would consider it, on one condition…I'm only interested if you agreed to co-run it with me."

"Me?"

Cosima laughed. "Yes, you. Why do you sound so surprised? You know better than anyone that what we only survived up there by working together. Individual skills are all well and good, but if these kids can't learn to pull together in disastrous situations, they don't stand a chance."

"Cosima, you are probably only a few years older than most of these 'kids'."

"Babies," Cosima insisted. "So, what do you say? Want to continue to do crazy science together? And maybe torture some greenies as an added bonus?" Cosima held her breath, waiting for Delphine's answer. She didn't really know what the blonde had in mind for her own career. She was probably in a position to write her own ticket at CNES, and she may not want to help run things with Cosima when she could be focusing on research of her own.

"Is that a serious question?" Delphine demanded.

"Uh...yes?"

"Of course I do! I've been worrying about the fact that we essentially live half a world away from each other since we landed. If NASA wants to give me a job, and if you don't mind working with me, I'll accept it in a heartbeat."

"Are you kidding? If you said no, I was prepared to break the news to my parents that they were going to need to brush up on their French." Cosima smiled, tilting Delphine's head back so she could give her a kiss. "Maybe we can start looking for a place? As much as I love my parents, I'm not sure how long I can continue to live with them." Cosima paused, realizing she may be making assumptions. "Unless you want to get your own-"

"Cosima," Delphine cut her off, managing to pack an impressive amount of exasperation into a single word. "Don't be an idiot."

"Right." Cosima tightened her arms, nestling her face into Delphine's hair. "We're totally getting a king size bed." On this point, Cosima was not willing to negotiate. She was done dealing with glorified cots. She had been dreaming of a proper bed for what felt like years. Probably because it had been.

Delphine laughed, rubbing her hands along Cosima's arms. "Whatever you want."

Cosima thought about one more thing she wanted. She reached into her pocket, rolling the small ring between her fingers, trying to build her courage.

She had been thinking about asking Delphine to marry her for months.

The idea had first occurred to her on Mars. During their journey to the Leda IV site Cosima had had ample time to think. About what she would do once they were rescued. About what she wanted from her life. About who she wanted to spend it with. It hadn't taken her long to realize that none of it mattered without Delphine.

However, Cosima couldn't ask her then. They hadn't even defined their relationship at that point, and they were under unimaginable stress. It wouldn't be fair to either of them to put that added pressure on top of everything.

Once they were back on board the Leda, and they had clarified their relationship, Cosima had the thought again. In the end, she decided that it wouldn't be right to propose without a proper ring. She wasn't normally a traditional person, but that was a point she refused to waver on.

Besides, she already knew exactly what she wanted to do for the ring. She just needed to wait until they were back on Earth before she could have it made. And she had. As soon as NASA had given them a minute of free time, Cosima had contacted a jeweler and explained what she wanted.

The ring had been ready the day before Delphine had to leave for France. Cosima told herself it wouldn't be right to propose right before Delphine had to board a plane. She wanted to find the right time.

Cosima was starting to think she had finally found it.

Delphine turned her head to look at Cosima, her fingers stroking down the side of her face. "Are you okay? You've gone quiet."

Cosima tightened her fist around the ring. "Yeah. Just thinking," she said, echoing Delphine's earlier words.

"About?"

Cosima smiled, dropping a quick kiss on Delphine's lips. "You."

Delphine smiled softly. "What about me?"

"Just how much I like spending time with you."

"You're sweet."

"And how much I love you."

" _Je t'aime aussi_."

"And how excited I am to get to work with you again."

"Me too...Though I would be fine with far fewer near death experiences."

"I promise nothing," Cosima teased. Cosima drew her hand out of her pocket, wanting to to wipe her suddenly sweaty palm on something, but afraid of dropping the ring in the process. "And I was thinking how amazing it would be to get to spend the rest of my life with you."

Cosima felt Delphine still in her arms, and her heart started to pound in her chest, not sure if that was a good sign or not. Delphine released a deep breath. "That's good."

"Yeah?"

Delphine nodded. "It would be unfortunate if I was the only one that felt that way."

Cosima grinned broadly, shaking her head. "No worries there." She breathed a sigh of relief, her nerves settling somewhat at Delphine's response.

"So it's settled. You're stuck with me."

Cosima sighed dramatically. "I suppose if I'm stuck with you, we might as well make it official." Extending her arm, she held the ring out in front of Delphine. It took a moment for what she was seeing to register, but once she did, Delphine reached for it with shaky fingers.

Cosima kissed her on the side of the head. "I know diamonds are more traditional, but nothing about our relationship has exactly followed the normal path. Don't tell NASA, but I may have smuggled a little bit of contraband back with me."

Delphine turned to look at Cosima, tears welling in her eyes. "Is it…"

Cosima nodded. "The Martian surface is littered with heavy metal meteorite fragments. I didn't think this one would be missed." Cosima took the ring gently out of Delphine's hand, rubbing her thumb over the burnished metal inlay on the platinum band. "If you don't like it, I can always-"

"Cosima, _tais-toi_ ," Delphine admonished, her voice a little shaky. "It's perfect. I love it."

"So...is that a yes?"

Delphine nodded, holding her left hand out so that Cosima could slip the ring in place. It fit perfectly. Cosima was a scientist after all. She wasn't about to leave something that important to chance.

As soon as the ring was in place, Delphine turned in her arms, claiming her lips in a fierce kiss. Cosima leaned back, her lap full of excited blonde. She ran her hands along Delphine's legs.

"I think maybe we should move this back inside."

Delphine bit her lip, nodding her head. "I think that would be a good idea."

 **FIN (for real this time)**


End file.
